Uragirimono
by Pokahydee - Nekoyasha
Summary: SM Inuyasha: Usagi's family is killed and she ends up staying with the Higurashi family, but weird things keep happening, this strange guy with silver hair and golden eyes kidnaps her and demands she give him the Shikon no Tama. But what is it?
1. Prologue

****

Currently Untitled

Notes: I was just bored one day so I sat down and started writing. I have no intention for this piece. I don't even know why I'm writing it when I have so much still unfinished. I guess I just need a break so I can sit down and get some fresh ideas into my head. I'll go back some day and re-watch some anime and finish some of my ficcies, but I really don't know when. I'm tired of writing the same old cliche fics and I just wanna have a lil fun again. Anyway, this'll be a Sailor Moon, Inuyasha ficcy (since that anime rox^^ I finally got to see it, fansub of course ~.^). Anyway, I really don't want to make this a romance, but if it takes that turn *shrugs* gomen. Well, that's all I'm gonna ramble on about for now. Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. Also, check out my fanfiction contest on my site There is currently no deadline until I receive more entrees. If this is good enough, maybe I'll enter it in that contest I'm a judge of *thinks and shrugs*

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are _italicized  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

****

Prologue

Usagi was walking down the street on her way home from school. It was a typical day except that the sky was gray and threatening rain. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened during that particular day. She arrived to class by the skin of her teeth, but then again, Usagi was always late to class to begin with. She fell asleep in first period like every day and woke up just in time to rush outside for lunch. That was her favorite part of the day, lunch. She had scarfed down her lunch in 5 seconds flat and spent the rest of the time trying to talk her friends out of different parts of their lunches. They knew Usagi's appetite and brought extra so she was spoiled that day. Some days they wouldn't have time to pack extra, but when they had time, Usagi would have a treat. Usagi was spoiled by everyone around her. She had a way of bringing a smile to the faces of everyone around her.

"Usagi-chan! Matte!" A voice called from behind. Usagi turned to see a girl with black hair running toward her clutching her school bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Usagi smiled and waved as Kagome ran toward her. Kagome's heel caught in the sidewalk and fell head-over-heels and landed right at Usagi's feet.

"Daijoubu ka?" Usagi asked as she bent over and offered Kagome a hand. Kagome took the offered hand with tears in her eyes. Her knees were both skinned up and pain shot up both legs. "Don't worry Kagome-chan, I'll take care of it." Usagi said as she placed a hand over one knee. She closed her eyes and her hand began to glow slightly. After a second, the wounds disappeared as did the pain.

"Arigato, Usagi-chan." Kagome said as she helped her friend to her feet. Kagome was the only person that knew about Usagi's ability and all the better. If anyone else found out Usagi was able to heal people, she'd be in alot of trouble. Kagome felt bad for Usagi, though. Usagi's parents and brother had been killed a few years before by one of those monsters that the Sailor Senshi were always fighting, but Usagi hadn't been able to save them then. She hadn't arrived in time to save their lives and had blamed herself since that day. Since that happened, Usagi had come to stay with them at the Higurashi shrine. "Let's hurry home and beat the rain, ne?"

"Hai!" Usagi said as the two started to run down the sidewalk to beat the rain home.

****

A shrouded figure took a step out into the faint light that trickled down through the cracks in the rock. There were many creatures, all of different types assembled down below the figure in a deep valley. On the edge of the cliff stood four humanoid forms all lowered to one knee. The figure took another few steps forward and raised one hand to silence the low murmur that filled the cave. All movement stopped as the apparent leader began to speak in a low throaty voice.

"You have been assembled, my friends, to take back what is yours." The voice started as the sharp nails glinted red in the dull light. "To take back the surface of this earth from the humans that exiled us all those years ago. We will make them pay for forcing us into eternal slumber to lay in the dirt for all these centuries."

The creatures below began to growl and yell in anger as the memories of being buried deep beneath the earth for all those centuries, half away and unable to move. All had gone through the same thing. They had known they were alive and longed to move, but their bodies didn't belong to them. Some seal held them at bay and forced them to remain dormant beneath the surface. They had waited for far too long, now they were pissed. They wanted to spill blood and kill the pathetic humans that had held them for so long.

"We will kill any human we come across and eat their flesh!" The voice rang out against the growls and hisses of anger. "We will take back this world and the glory of the youkai! The time is almost right, we must find the holder first. The holder of the Shikon no Tama!"

"I will complete this mission, my master." A man's voice said as one of the four that stood before the leader stepped forward and rose to his full height. The figure looked him over for a moment and then smirked before nodded approval. "Doomo arigato." With that, the silver-haired man turned and leapt into the air, headed for the exit to the surface.

"Do not let any human live that you come in contact with." The shrouded figure stated simply as the silver-haired man departed. He paused for a moment and nodded his understanding.

"Kouga..." The figure said as the silver-haired man exited.

"Hai?" One of the kneeling men said as he looked up at his leader.

"You will supervise and report back any odd behavior. Make sure he does not fail." The figure said with a slight frown. "The jewel is the only thing that can stop our success. With it, we will triumph much faster, though. If he fails... kill him and bring the tama to me." Kouga stood and bowed slightly before he nodded and headed after the man.

****

Ten minutes later, two soaking wet girls arrived at the shrine with a broken umbrella and dripping bags. They had been running along the sidewalk, with the umbrella open of course, and the wind had caught the umbrella and pulled both girls into a rather large puddle. The rain started shortly after that and soaked everything that hadn't been soaked by the puddle.

"We might as well not have an umbrella at all." Kagome whined as she rung out her hair over the sink and tossed the umbrella in the trash at the same time. Usagi sat by the door with one shoe on and she poured the water out of the other on the front step. She quickly dumped the other and closed the front door. No use letting the rest of the house get soaked.

"I'm going to go and get a shower, all right Kagome-chan?" Usagi asked as she headed up the stairs.

"Hai, but I'm after you!" She called after the blond girl.

"Hai!" Usagi called down the stairs.

Usagi closed the door of the bathroom and quickly undressed herself. She tossed her wet school uniform into a pile in the corner of the room. She turned on the hot water and poured some bubbles into the water. She went back to the sink and looked up in the mirror. She released her hair from the simple ponytail and let it trail down to her shoulders. After her family was killed, Usagi decided she needed a change. She cut her hair and started to wear it up in a ponytail so she wouldn't remember what had happened. In the weeks after her family's deaths, whenever Usagi looked in a mirror, she couldn't stand the sight. She didn't like the person that looked out at her. The girl that hadn't made it in time to save the people she cared about most. Instead she was at the mall with her friends when she should have been with her family. Although there had been no way for Usagi to know her family would be attacked, Usagi still blamed herself. She could have saved them with her healing powers if she had gone with them to the park.

Usagi turned back around to the tub that was half-full and climbed in to warm up. She was chilled to the bone from the rain and figured the bath would warm her faster than anything else would. She began to relax and leaned back against the back of the tub. She sighed in content and glanced toward the window above the tub. She gasped as she saw a set of golden eyes looking through the window at her... She did something that any teenaged girl would do in that situation... she screamed...

::Fin::

Matte = Wait

Daijoubu ka? = How are you? Are you all right?

Arigato = Thank You

Hai = Yes

Shikon no Tama = Jewel of the Four Souls (fansub translation and spelling)

All right, that's it for the prologue. Do you like it? Does it sound interesting? Come on, tell me whatcha think ne? Anyway, this is totally spur of the moment, I'm not quite sure where I'm gonna have it go yet but *shrugs* it's gonna be fun^^ Inuyasha is one of my newest obsessions, I've seen up to like episode 96 or something like that *shrugs* I forget. Anyway, I dunno about you people, but I like Kagome :P She's a little annoying, but hey, when you think about it, so is Usagi and Miaka *shrugs* I don't see any sense in bashing them, I like to think I'm better than that, although it is fun once in a while ~.^ Anyway, I'm gonna go ahead and type up chapter 1 right now for the simple fact that prologues are ALWAYS boring so I'm gonna give ya a treat ~.^ Anyway, email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net, also check out my fanfiction contest at I need you people to start sending applications!!! Anyway, please let me know how I'm doing on this, this is my first SM/Inuyasha x-over ficcy^^ Well, bai bai for now *flies into the air and disappears in a puff of pink smoke and silver sparkles*

Psst… by the way, if you have any ideas for a title of this story, please help me out. That's the hardest part for me, thinking of titles ^^;


	2. Chapter 1 Search for the Shikon no Tama

****

Currently Untitled

Notes: I was just bored one day so I sat down and started writing. I have no intention for this piece. I don't even know why I'm writing it when I have so much still unfinished. I guess I just need a break so I can sit down and get some fresh ideas into my head. I'll go back some day and re-watch some anime and finish some of my ficcies, but I really don't know when. I'm tired of writing the same old cliche fics and I just wanna have a lil fun again. Anyway, this'll be a Sailor Moon, Inuyasha ficcy (since that anime rox^^ I finally got to see it, fansub of course ~.^). Anyway, I really don't want to make this a romance, but if it takes that turn *shrugs* gomen. Well, that's all I'm gonna ramble on about for now. Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. Also, check out my fanfiction contest on my site There is currently no deadline until I receive more entrees. If this is good enough, maybe I'll enter it in that contest I'm a judge of *thinks and shrugs*

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are _italicized  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

****

Chapter 1 - Search for the Shikon no Tama

Usagi screamed at the top of her lungs and ran to grab a towel. By this point, the window had opened and the golden-eyed boy jumped into the room and rushed at her with his hand raised. He knocked her down to the ground and put one hand over her mouth with his other raised above his head. Usagi whimpered and struggled under his weight.

"Where is the Shikon no Tama?!?" He demanded in a low growl. Usagi only whimpered in response as tears dripped from here eyes.

"Usagi-chan!! What's wrong?!?" A female voice called as footsteps sounded down the hallway outside of the room. It was Kagome. Usagi bit down hard into the hand that was held over her mouth when he was distracted. She then kneed him hard in the groin area and shoved him off of her. She grabbed a robe and headed for the door. As she grabbed the door handle, she felt a hand on her ankle and fell hard on her face. She groaned quietly and tried to catch her breath.

"Run Kagome..." Usagi murmured as she felt herself being lifted up. She watched in her dazed state as the door burst open but Kagome was getting smaller... then Usagi was cold and wet...

****

He had just been sitting in a tree trying to figure out an angle to approach his mission when she appeared. It was a blond girl, he had no interest in her... until he saw what she did. A girl with dark hair, obviously the human's friend, had fallen and cut herself. The scent of the blood had sent a chill of anticipation up his spine. He would have gladly jumped down there and eaten the girl had it not been such a public area. Then the blond human somehow made the wound heal. That's when he knew that she had the Shikon no Tama. How else would she be able to heal the dark-haired one so easily? It made perfect sense. He hadn't meant to make such a scene in that house, though. Why had she gotten so upset? He quirked his head to the side as he looked at the blond girl. She was wearing a white robe and her hair was spread out around her and looked like a halo. He poked her gingerly to see if he could get a reaction. Once he had the Shikon no Tama, he would kill her, of course. Her blood smelled good, his mouth watered at the scent. In the squabble, she had been hurt and since then he had to force himself to wait until he had the tama before he ate her. He was so hungry, though. He nearly jumped when he heard a groan. Then his eyes narrowed and a smirk played across his lips.

"Wake up!" He demanded as he lifted the girl up and held her against the cold stone. The rain still poured down and leaked into the underground cave in a waterfall. She groaned again and opened one eye to look at him. "Where is it?!?" He demanded as he tightened his grip on her throat.

"N... nani?" She questioned as she raised her hands to attempt to pry his hands off. "Where is what?" She managed to squeak out of her blocked off wind pipes.

"The Shikon no Tama, baka!!" He growled and bared his teeth. Usagi swallowed hard and bit back tears.

"I don't know what you're talking about.." She whimpered as tears stung her eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me!!" He snarled as his grip tightened. Usagi winced in pain and gasped for air. She could no longer speak and only choked and sputtered. He growled once more and dropped her to the ground. Usagi's hands went straight to her throat as she gasped and sputtered while she pulled air into her aching lungs. He sat across from her and crossed his arms over his chest with a deep scowl on his face. "Where is it?!" He growled as his fangs glimmered in the faint moonlight that filtered into the cave. Usagi could hear the rythmic patter of the rain on the stones above her head and suddenly wished she had an umbrella.

"I don't know what you're talking about?!? What the hell is a Shikon no Tama?!?!?" Usagi demanded as she frantically searched her surroundings for an exit.

"Don't play dumb! I saw you heal that girl! You have to have it if you can do that!!" He growled out as he leaned forward and crawled toward her. He cracked his knuckles and slashed his claws toward her face. She leaned back against the cold, wet wall behind her and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Gomen nasai!! I don't know why I can do that, but I don't have what you're looking for!" Usagi cried as tears streamed down her face. She was cold, wet, and covered in mud and blood. She leaned against the wall and shivered in sheer terror, she knew she was going to die in this dark place where no one would hear her scream. His eyes narrowed on her and he grabbed her chin roughly. He yanked her face up to look at him, then he twisted her face to one side, then the other. "Itai, what are you doing!! That hurts you know!" Usagi cried as she pulled her face out of his hand. This brought a growl from the silver-haired, golden-eyed boy and Usagi was brought back to reality. A sweatdrop appeared on her forehead and she slapped her hand over her mouth. "Gomen?" She questioned as he leaned his face closer to hers. He slammed his fist against the stone next to her head, which caused the whole cave to shake.

"I'm going to ask you one more time! Where is the Shikon no Tama?!?!" He demanded as his golden eyes burned into hers.

"I don't know!" She yelled back as she pushed against him. She hated to be pinned down, she was claustrophobic. She couldn't stand feeling like she was trapped or closed in. To her surprise, he backed up and sat cross-legged in front of her. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Usagi with his glowing eyes. He couldn't kill her just yet; she was the only lead he had on the Shikon no Tama so he couldn't get rid of her yet.

"Release her demon!" A voice broke the silence from above. Usagi looked up to see a man wearing long robes and holding a golden staff.

"Nani?" Usagi said quietly as she looked up at the strange man.

"Go back to your master and leave this human girl alone!" The man ordered as he jumped down into the cave. He landed in front of Usagi and stood poised ready to fight.

"Who the hell are you?!" The boy growled as his eyes flashed red and his claws seemed to grow longer.

"I'm the priest Miroku," He started as he rose his staff. "And I'm here to banish you back to hell, youkai!" He shouted as he struck out with his staff. The demon easily dodged and landed in front of Usagi.

"I don't have time to play with you." The youkai said as he grabbed Usagi and jumped up to the opening of the cave. Usagi looked down at the dark-haired priest and screamed in terror.

"O-negai!! Help me!!!" She shrieked as she was carried upward by the monster who had kidnapped her.

"Matte!!" Miroku called as he followed as closely as possible. For a human, he had speed. He could easily keep up with a youkai, provided the youkai wasn't too powerful. The youkai he had trouble keeping up with for the most part with the wolves. They were quick and sly; it was easy to lose them. This wasn't a wolf though, by the ears Miroku figured it was either a dog or cat demon. He would be able to keep up with this particular youkai. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to take him down, though.

"Help me!!" Usagi shrieked at the top of her lungs as she felt the rain pound down against her skin. She was already soaked to the bone, covered in mud and sticky blood, and her hair was in a mess.

"Don't worry, I'll save you!" The priest called up to her as he leapt into the air. He landed in front of the youkai and pulled some prayer beads off of his hand. "Air Void!!" He shouted and pointed his hand in Usagi's direction. Her eyes widened in shock as the hole in his hand began to suck everything inside.

"Nani?!?" Usagi cried as she felt it pull at her and her captor. The youkai that held her growled deep in his throat and threw Usagi as hard as he could toward the priest. Usagi screamed bloody-murder as she flew toward black hole in his hand. At the last second, Miroku put the beads back over the hole in his hand and caught the shivering girl in one motion. Usagi lay against his chest with her eyes squinted shut and shivered in cold and fear.

"Daijoubu ka?" She heard his voice quietly ask. Usagi opened her eyes and looked up at the dark-haired man with a blush on her cheeks.

"H... hai..." She said as she blushed and looked up at the attractive priest. _What am I thinking? He's a priest!_ Usagi thought to herself and turned her eyes away. Then she remembered the boy with the silver hair. "Where is he!?!" Usagi demanded when she remembered her kidnapper.

"Shh, don't worry. He's gone for now." Miroku said as he set Usagi on her feet. Usagi pulled the wet and muddy robe closer to her body to try and generate some heat. It didn't help in the slightest. She glanced up when she felt something heavy on her shoulders. Miroku had wrapped her in his outer robe before he scooped her up and put her on his back. "I'll take you home."

"Arigato!" Usagi cried as she leaned against his back and cried. He glanced over his shoulder at the sobbing girl and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, koneko, I won't let them hurt you." Miroku said with a smile. _Although I don't know why they're after some girl..._ Miroku thought to himself as he tried to discover their alibi for kidnapping such a helpless girl.

****

Usagi sat at the table with a cup of hot chocolate with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Kagome sat to her left and Miroku sat across from her with his own cup. He had brought Usagi home and was now in the process of trying to figure out why the youkai had targeted her. There didn't seem to be anything special from just looking at her. Maybe the youkai knew something that he didn't. It just didn't make any sense to him.

"Did that youkai say anything to you?" Miroku asked. "Anything that would tell us what he wanted?" Usagi took another sip of her hot chocolate and frowned slightly. The throught of those golden eyes sent chills down her spine.

"He was looking for some jewel." Usagi said simply as she shuddered involuntarily.

"Jewel?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Hai, he called it the Shikon no Tama." Usagi explained to the priest. She took another sip of her chocolate and sighed quietly. She didn't notice Miroku's eyes widen in shock. _Kuso... she has something to do with the Shikon no Tama?!?_ He silently wondered. _No wonder the youkai are targeting her..._ _It doesn't make sense, though. Why would a girl like her have it?_

"Can I ask you something, Usagi?" Miroku asked as he took her hand. She nodded to him and waited for him to ask. "Will you carry my child?" Usagi's eyes widened and a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead.

"N... nani?!? What kind of a question is that?!?!" Usagi demanded as she pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face. Miroku frowned slightly and turned to Kagome.

"Kagome-san..." He started as he took her hand. Kagome pulled back her hand and slapped him before he could ask.

"Can't you be more serious?!" She demanded as she frowned at him and a vien popped out in her forehead. Miroku lay on the floor with two hand prints on his face, one on either cheek. "Come on Usagi-chan, I think you should probably get some sleep. Mama and grandpa will be home soon."

****

Inuyasha growled to himself as he licked his wound. That stupid monk would pay for disrupting his plan. He'd have to kill that guy to get to that girl. No doubt that stupid priest would be watching the human girl's every move. Inuyasha cursed himself for having underestimated the priest, Miroku. His master had warned him about the priest with a hole in his hand, and also a young girl calling herself a demon slayer and wielding a large boomerang-looking weapon.

After being defeated by that stupid monk, Inuyasha had retreated to the sewers. The only place where the rats were bigger than he was. The smell were hell on him, his sense of smell wouldn't be worth anything for at least a week. He couldn't go back to his normal hiding place because no doubt that monk would look there first for him. He'd just have to take the priest by surprise and slice his arm off. Without his "Air Void" as he called it, Miroku would be helpless. That was the only thing that Inuyasha really had to look out for. The stupid charms and his staff would have no effect on Inuyasha, he was too strong for that.

"Having troubles, Inukoro?" A mocking voice asked from behind. Inuyasha turned around and glared at the dark-haired wolf. He had been able to smell that wimpy wolf for the past several days. He knew he was being monitered by that baka.

"What the hell do you want, Yaseokami?!?" He growled as he flashed his claws.

"I'm here to supervise your mission, baka." Kouga growled as he smirked at the dog demon triumphantly. "I see you're having a little trouble. Did that little bitch manage to get the better of you?" Inuyasha only growled in reply and glared at the wolf.

"Keh! It's none of your damn business!" Inuyasha growled as he turned his face away from the other demon.

"I was give the order to take over the mission once you fail. If you fail again, I'll kill you and then the glory of presenting the Shikon no Tama to our master will be mine." Kouga said confidently.

"I won't give you the opportunity." Inuyasha growled as he continued to glare.

"My aren't we optimistic for someone that just lost what they were looking for. Just remember, one more chance or I'll kill you." Kouga said as he balled his hand into a fist and took off in the opposite direction.

Inuyasha growled to himself and slammed his fist into the wall of the sewer when Kouga was out of earshot. That stupid wolf would die too, once he got the Shikon no Tama, Kouga would be the first one to go. Inuyasha grew tired of the arrogant wolf. He had never much liked the wolf tribe to begin with. They were always causing trouble and letting other youkai take the fall. They would sneak off and kill twenty humans in one night but not share so much as one bite with the rest of them. That really pissed Inuyasha off to no end. They were goddamn gluttons! And that's all they did! They didn't do anything to advance their mission to destroy the human race.

"Don't worry, Yaseokami, I'll kill you personally..."

****

Usagi was terrified to be alone so she made Kagome sleep in her bed with her. She really didn't want to be alone with that thing still out there. Miroku had talked to Kagome's grandfather about becoming an apprentice at the shrine. Surprisingly, Kagome's grandfather agreed right away and said something like 'The youth of this country finally has respect for history...' or something along those lines. Therefore, Miroku slept in the bedroom next to Usagi's.

Souta took an immediate liking to Miroku because the older man played video games almost as good as he did. Kagome had no interest whatsoever in video games, but Usagi would play with him from time to time. Mostly if they were playing a Sailor V game. Although, after the accident with Usagi's family, she played less and less of the Sailor V games. She said that it brought back too many memories. Souta thought this was because she used to play the game with her little brother Shingo. Souta had been friends with Shingo when they were younger and had been very upset when the boy was killed, though he didn't know how it happened. He just knew it had something to do with the park. He wasn't quite sure why Usagi had been so upset that day. It wasn't even near the day when her family had died. She was all dirty and scraped up. Souta just figured she was trying to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. The last time that had happened, Usagi had ended up with two scraped up knees and gum in her bangs. She had gone crying to his mother because she couldn't get the gum out of her hair.

Souta frowned and headed to his room to go to sleep. His mother would be mad if she knew he was still awake. He had been in Miroku's room for the past hour while they tried to get the bunny ears on the television to pick up a good signal. Miroku wanted to see the news, but all he ended up seeing was static. Souta suggested that Miroku go downstairs because that television had cable and wasn't ancient like the one in Miroku's room. He declined though, so Souta was stuck holding up the bunny ears in the weirdest position, which caused the left side of his body to fall asleep after about five minutes even though they could barely understand what the announcer was saying from the static. Souta opened Usagi's door and walked in silently. He tip-toed over to her bed and leaned over Kagome to look at the blond.

"Oyasumi nasai Usagi-chan." Souta whispered as he touched her hand. Kagome peeked on eye open at the boy and pouted.

"Don't I get a good night, little brother?" Kagome asked with a pout on her face. A sweatdrop appeared on Souta's forehead when his sister spoke. He thought she'd been asleep, now he blushed from head to toe.

"K... Kagome?!? I thought you were asleep!!" Souta nearly yelled. He stopped when Kagome pressed a finger to her lips and shook her head. Souta frowned and turned to leave the room.

"Don't worry about Usagi-chan, she's all right. And don't worry, I'll keep your secret safe." Kagome said as her brother left the room. She had known for a while that the boy liked her best friend. Every time Usagi even said 'good morning' to him, he'd turn bright red and start to stammer. She laughed quietly to herself and stood up. She just wasn't tired. Kagome was worried about Usagi. What if that weird monster came back while they were sleeping? Even if Miroku heard him, would he make it there in time to save Usagi again? Kagome was skeptical. She wanted to know what that monster wanted with Usagi. Did it have to do with her healing power? Kagome didn't know how the demon would know about that, though. Unless he'd seen them earlier that day, but that was a long shot. It was probably just a coincidence. Yeah, it had to just be a coincidence. There was no way that guy had seen Usagi heal her knees earlier that day. Kagome sighed in defeat and walked to the window to let a breeze in, the room was so stuffy Kagome could hardly breathe. When she glanced up toward the tree she saw a pair of glowing golden eyes staring back at her. She gasped and stood in frozen shock...

****

Inuyasha perked outside the window of the blond human from earlier. She was sleeping but that dark-haired human was pacing back and forth in the room. He'd have to deal with her before he could deal with the other woman. This was going to be fun afterall. Inuyasha could smell the stench of that stupid priest and decided that he'd just have to make it quick and silent, which was something he could do. He was always up for a challenge, especially if it meant he'd get to rip into the soft flesh of those girls. He prepared himself for the lunge when the dark-haired girl walked toward the window and looked straight up at him.

"Kuso..." He muttered as he leapt toward the open window and easily slammed his elbow into the girl's gut. Her air left her lungs in a loud woosh and she slumped forward against him. There was something strange about this one... she smelled familiar somehow, though Inuyasha wasn't quite sure where he caught that scent before. He slung the dark-haired one over his shoulder and walked over to the sleeping woman. He reached down and put his hand over her mouth to silence her. He knew she would scream as soon as she saw him. He smirked as he saw the fear in her eyes when they popped open. He took that opportunity to shove a small envelope of something into her mouth. She gagged on the packet but swallowed it and soon her whole body went limp. He easily lifted her and threw her over his other shoulder. He'd take the dark-haired one just in case the priest was making rounds. Then he'd have two hostages if the human's decided to fight back. Though he doubted that they would even notice the girls' disappearance. All save the immediate family and that idiot priest.

Kagome stared in open-mouth shock as she saw her house grow smaller and smaller into the distance. She wanted to cry out, but her lungs wouldn't obey her. She was still having trouble breathing or even moving for that matter so she watched helplessly as she and Usagi were taken by the silver haired demon. Kagome reached out her hand toward her house once before darkness enveloped her and she slumped against her captor. Inuyasha smirked and quickened his pace. It would take at least an hour or two before that priest had any clue where the girls were. By that time, Inuyasha would have the Shikon no Tama and the youkai would start their revolution to enslave the humans.

****

Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she found herself bound hand and foot with tight cords that cut into her skin. She winced slightly as she bent at the waist, that was a bad move... Her stomach felt sore and she had the greatest urge to puke all over the floor. She managed to hold that back with some difficulty. She looked around the dimly lit area and saw that she was alone. The golden-eyed boy was gone and so was Usagi. She hoped nothing had happened to her blond friend. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Usagi.

Kagome fought against the cords and wiggled her wrists this way and that until she managed to slip one hand out of the loops. Her wrists were swollen and bleeding but she didn't really care, all that mattered was finding Usagi and getting the hell out of there. She quickly untied her feet and tried to stand up but swayed this way and that. She decided that she would just crawl since her head spun too much when she stood. _I must have been out longer than I thought..._ She dimly thought as she crept across the damp floor on all fours. From the smell of the place, she was in a sewer but she wasn't sure exactly. She crawled slowly at first as she tried to regain her balance but after a few minutes was able to stand and walked along slumped as long as she held onto the wall. Otherwise, she would lose her balance and fall once again.

"Give me the Shikon no Tama..." A feminine voice purred into Kagome's ear.

"Nani?!?" Kagome exclaimed as she turned to see a face beside hers. Her eyes widened in shock and she spun around to face a giant centipede-looking demon. She took a few steps back and bumped into the wall of the sewer, which caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. "Sh... shikon no Tama?" She questioned as the creature crept closer to her.

"Hai... I can sense the jewel... Give it to me!!!" She demanded as she lunged at Kagome. Kagome put her hands in front of her face in fear and was shocked when the centipede didn't hit her. She peeked open an eye and saw the creature hunched over and missing four of her six arms. She scooted across the ground in her pajamas as she tried to escape the next attack.

"Iie!! Leave me alone!!" Kagome shouted as the centipede growled and attacked again. A pink light lit up the entire area and when it cleared, the centipede was gone. "N... nani?" Kagome questioned herself when she saw the creature was gone. "How did I do that?"

"It's simple." An arrogant voice said from behind. "YOU have the Shikon no Tama, not that blond human Inukoro has taken so much interest in." Kagome stood up and backed away from the dark-haired youkai. This one wasn't as scary looking as the centipede, but he seemed much more menacing.

"W... who are you?" Kagome managed to choke out as she took a few more steps backward. She cried out as something exploded from behind her and something grabbed her around the waist. She screamed as it felt like she was being pulled up through the cement to the surface. The next thing she knew, she was flying in the air and she caught a glimpse of a pink jewel covered in blood that was flying away from her.

"You! This is my mission!! Go back below!!" Kouga shouted as he punched the female centipede as hard as he could. Kagome landed on the ground hard and heard a quiet plunk by her head. She looked up and there, lying next to her was the pink jewel with blood splattered on it.

"Why does my side hurt so much?" She wondered to herself as she picked up the small jewel. She touched her side and pulled her hand back when she felt something warm and sticky covering it. "Did this... come out of my body?" She questioned as she held onto the jewel in one hand and looked down at the injury.

"I knew it." The cocky voice of the human-like youkai said as he landed in front of Kagome. Kagome looked up and her eyes grew in size. The demon was looking down at her with an evil look on his face. "The Shikon no Tama. I knew I'd get it before that stupid dog face. You're not bad looking for a human, you belong to me now."

"N... nani?!?" Kagome exclaimed indignantly. "Your woman?!? Are you crazy?!?" Kagome demanded as her face scrunched up in anger. Kouga smirked at the human before he grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder. "I'll take that." He said as he attempted to pluck the jewel from her hand.

"Iie!!" Kagome cried as she yanked it out of his hand.

"I said give it to me!!" He shouted as he tried to pull it from her grasp.

"Iie!! It came out of my body!! I'm not giving it to you!!!" Kagome shouted as she held tightly to the treasure the demon had been so intent on getting.

"Hiraikotsu!!" A female voice called out. A moment later, a giant boomerang came flying toward the youkai and Kagome.

"Oi! Watch where you're aiming that!!" Kagome cried out as she ducked out of the way of the boomerang. The boomerang circled around and a girl dressed in weird clothes with a mask over her face caught it effortlessly.

"Baka!! Get the jewel!!" The girl shouted as she threw the boomerang again toward the recovered Kouga who was racing toward the jewel. Kagome scrambled up and ran toward the jewel and managed to grab it seconds before it would have fallen down through the huge hole in the ground that lead to the sewers.

"Give me the jewel!!" Kouga demanded as he hit the boomerang out of the air with ease. He ran at full speed toward Kagome ready to tear her to shreds.

"Air Void!!" A voice shouted and the wind suddenly picked up. Kagome covered her face with her arm and looked toward the youkai who was charging her. She was shocked to see that he was flying backward toward the hole in Miroku's hand.

"Kisama!!" Kouga growled as he spun around in mid-air and managed to dig his feet into the ground. The pull on his stopped as Miroku covered the air void and held up his staff ready to attack. Miroku lunged at Kouga and attempted to hit him with his staff. Kouga, being a wolf youkai, was much faster and easily dodged the attacks.

"Hiraikotsu!" The girl shouted as she flung the boomerang in Kouga's direction again. Kouga jumped into the air and landed in a tree next to the road.

"I'll be back!" He growled as he jumped up to the top of the building and jumped from rooftop to rooftop until he was out of sight.

****

Usagi opened her eyes and felt herself being carried on someone's back. She rubbed her eyes and as her vision cleared, she gasped audibly before she shoved against the person who carried her. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder when he heard the gasp and stopped running. He dropped her hard on the ground and turned around to glare at her. Neither one said a word, they merely stood there _[A.N. In Usagi's case, she sat there]_ and stared at each other. Inuyasha was the first to break the silence as he rather rudely began to talk.

"Where is the Shikon no Tama, human." He growled as he put out one hand.

"I've told you already, I don't even know what a Shikon no Tama is, let alone where it is." Usagi countered as she climbed to her feet to stare the boy in the eye. She was tired of being afraid of this creature that stole her from her bed. She stood in front of him in her pink bunny pajamas with her hair hanging loosely around her face and stared into his golden eyes. He was the first to turn away while he growled in annoyance.

"Stop that, baka human!" He growled as he rubbed his eyes with his arm. _Baka human... don't think I won't kill you..._ He thought to himself as he raised his claws once again. He held his hand raised for a moment then grunted and turned away from her. "Why aren't you afraid?" He asked simply. "You were terrified before, now I'm going to kill you and you're not afraid."

"I am not afraid to die." Usagi said simply as she thought of being with her family again. He was taken somewhat aback by this. Just a few hours earlier, she cried and begged for him not to kill her and now she stood in front of him with no fear. "I've run in fear from you for too long. If killing me will satisfy you, then do it." He didn't turn around to look at her, he just stood there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Get the hell out of here before I decide to change my mind and kill you." He said simply as he stood with his back to Usagi. Usagi gasped slightly at him. He was letting her go? Was that really the same guy she had seen earlier? "I'll let you go this time, next time I'll kill you for sure." He stated simply as he stared off into the distance. Usagi gasped as she saw a flash of pink in the direction he looked. She took a step toward the light and watched as the golden-eyed youkai leapt off of the building and headed toward the shining light.

::Fin::

Nani? = What? Huh?

Baka = Stupid

Gomen nasai = I'm sorry

O-negai = Please, I beg you

Koneko = Kitten

Inukoro = Dog Face (this is what Kouga calls Inuyasha in the series... I'm going by the fansub translation)

Yaseokami = Wimpy Wolf (this is what Inuyasha calls Kouga in the series... I'm going by the fansub translation)

Oyasumi nasai = Good night

Kuso = Hell, shit (it's a light curse, I forget which one *shrugs*)

Iie = No

Oi = Hey

All right, there's chapter 1 for ya^^ I hope you all liked it. Be happy I sat down and wrote the prologue and first chapter in one sitting so you had a little more to read than when it's just a prologue. Anyway, I'm not going to give away any of the plot but I have MANY ideas for this one^^ As you can see, it's a crossover and also an alternate universe since Inuyasha and the youkai aren't in ancient Japan *grins* I just think it's cool when Inuyasha is in the modern world. It would be more fun if he had been coming from the past to the modern though *thinks... then shrugs* Ah well, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. Also, take a break and check out my 2003 Fanfiction Contest on my site . Well, that's it for now, let me know what you think and/or if I should continue. Ja! *flies into the air and disappears in a puff of pink smoke and silver sparkles*


	3. Chapter 2 Missions

Currently Untitled 

Notes: I was just bored one day so I sat down and started writing. I have no intention for this piece. I don't even know why I'm writing it when I have so much still unfinished. I guess I just need a break so I can sit down and get some fresh ideas into my head. I'll go back some day and re-watch some anime and finish some of my ficcies, but I really don't know when. I'm tired of writing the same old cliche fics and I just wanna have a lil fun again. Anyway, this'll be a Sailor Moon, Inuyasha ficcy (since that anime rox^^ I finally got to see it, fansub of course ~.^). Anyway, I really don't want to make this a romance, but if it takes that turn *shrugs* gomen. Well, that's all I'm gonna ramble on about for now. Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. Also, check out my fanfiction contest on my site There is currently no deadline until I recieve more entrees.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are italicized  
Dream Sequences are italicized (thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc...

Chapter 2 - Missions...

Inuyasha and Kouga were bowed in front of their leader, each one covered in various cuts and bruises. Their leader had been none to pleased to hear of the two youkais' antics and also that they had let the Shikon no Tama go. In punishment for this, the shrouded figure had give them a beating that they were not likely to forget for a very long time.

"Sesshoumaru." Their leader said to a figure that was hidden in the shadows behind Inuyasha and Kouga. The silver-haired man stepped into the dim light and bowed at the waist. "You are responsible for getting the Shikon no Tama. I know you will not show the weaknesses that these two have shown."

"Hai, master." Sesshoumaru said as he bowed at the waist once more. His long fluffy tail flicked slightly as he turned and headed in the opposite direction. At his side hung two swords, one was a powerful weapon that only he was able to control, the other was, in Sesshoumaru's opinion, worthless. He was joined by a short youkai with green skin and a staff by the name of Jaken as he headed into the shadows. Inuyasha growled at the older dog demon. Sesshoumaru was the obvious favorite of their leader and Inuyasha was jealous. He had always been inferior to Sesshoumaru and it pissed him off to no end. This was his mission and now that the Shikon no Tama had been found, Inuyasha was angry and ready to kill something.

"Inuyasha, your new mission is to bring me that healing girl." Their leader said plainly.

"Healing girl?" Inuyasha questioned. How their leader knew that blond human had healing powers was beyond him. Had he sent out other spies besides Kouga to follow him?

"That blond human you kidnapped. Bring her to me, that's your mission." Their leader said, he then turned toward Kouga. "Your mission is to kill the priest and that youkai exterminator. Kill the human with the Shikon no Tama while you're at it." Kouga nodded and rose from his spot on the ground.

"Hai, consider it done." Kouga said as he bowed and walked in the same direction Sesshoumaru had headed. Inuyasha followed suit. He rose from the ground and bowed to their master before he headed in the same direction with a deep scowl on his face.

"Bring the girl directly to me, Inuyasha." The deep voice echoed as he walked away from the figure.

****

Usagi sat next to Kagome with the two new-comers across from them. The girl introduced herself as Sango and explained that she was a youkai exterminator. Miroku seemed to have met her before, he grabbed her butt a few times and recieved a harsh slap across the face. For a priest, he sure was a pervert. Usagi had managed to find her way home from the rooftop the youkai had dropped her off on. It took her a little while because she didn't have money for the bus so she had to walk. It took her over an hour to get home that night. It was about noon the next day the four of them sat around the table to discuss the events of the previous day.

Kagome fingered the jewel that hung around her neck gingerly. Those things wanted this small jewel so bad, but why? Sango knew very little of the jewel and Miroku knew even less. All they knew was that they couldn't let the wrong people get their hands on it. If that happened, chaos would descend on the world and no one would get out unscathed. The wound on her side hurt a little but as long as she didn't bend, it was fine. Sango had bandaged it for her and had put some sort of special ointment on it, which helped to relieve the pain a great deal. She still had no idea how that small jewel had gotten inside of her body. It just didn't make sense, how did the doctors miss it when she had her apendix [A.N. sorry if I spelled that wrong, I don't have spell check on this computer .] out? She sighed and tucked the round jewel inside of her shirt. It probably wasn't the best idea to have it out where people could see it so plainly.

"I heard of a Miko named Kaede-sama that might be able to tell us about the jewel." Sango explained as she took a sip of her lemonaide.

"Kaede-sama?" Usagi questioned as she looked at the dark-haired girl.

"Hai, she should be at a shrine not too far from here. If we take the bus we can be there in like ten or fifteen minutes." Sango said to the blond girl.

"Let's go then." Usagi said with a smile. They might be able to get Kaede-sama to take the jewel so they would be out of danger. The sooner they got rid of that jewel, the better. Usagi stood up and grabbed Kagome's hand. "The sooner we get there, the better." She said with her normal smile. Her seemingly perky personality had returned after the immediate danger had passed and she was safely with her friends.

Sango and Miroku followed the two younger girls to the bus stop and a sweatdrop appeared on both of their foreheads. It was rather odd to see a priest dressed in such an old fashioned way carrying a golden staff and a woman dressed in a kimono with a large boomerang strapped to her back. The people on the streets and the stopped bus gave them strange looks and moved back to let them pass.

"Hurry up!" Usagi cried as she grabbed Miroku's and Sango's hand. She didn't seem to notice all of the stares the people gave them as they climbed on the bus. Sango smiled at the perky girl, it was good to have someone to brighten the dim outlook the four of them had before them. Usagi sat next to Sango and talked a mile a minute as the bus pulled away from the curb. Miroku and Sango just listened to the two giggling girls that talked about homework and tests and of course, about boys. "Ne Sango-chan." Usagi said, getting the other girl's attention.

"Hai?" She questioned as she realized she was now going to be pulled into the conversation.

"Did you hear about that new band yet? The Three Lights?" She questioned as she smiled at the dark-haired girl. "Isn't Seiya-kun the hottest? Kagome-chan says that Taiki is cuter, but it's definitely Seiya." A sweatdrop appeared on Sango's forehead and then a blush broke out across her face.

"Actually, I prefer Yaten, he's much more mature than the other two." Sango said a-matter-of-factly. Both Usagi and Kagome burst into giggles at her confession.

"It's perfect then! One for each of us!" Usagi giggled excitedly. The three of them were so deep into their conversation they didn't notice the three people that came on the bus at the next stop. They sat a few seats in front of Usagi and Kagome, each one took his own seat. They were all three dressed in black with dark glasses over their eyes. The tallest of the three had a small bag on the seat next to him and he was busy reading from a book in his hands. The one with the long black ponytail sat with his hands behind his head and one leg crossed lazily over the other. As soon as he sat down, he flipped a pair of headphones up over his ears that hung around his neck. The guy with the blondish-white hair sat with his arms crossed over his chest and an annoyed look on his face. Stupid Seiya and his antics. He thought grumpily as he grunted quietly.

"Why are we riding the bus again, Seiya-kun?" Taiki asked in an annoyed tone. He was tired of how Seiya always thought he was the boss and he and Yaten were just supposed to follow suit and do what Seiya did. What annoyed him more was the fact that is was burning hot, the windows didn't open, and there were a bunch of girls a few seats back giggling about something or other. He didn't care what the girls talked about, he was getting a headache since he was forced to listen to them. He just hoped that there were no people on the bus who recognized them. It was bound to happen though, since everyone in Tokyo talked about the newest idol hit the "Three Lights". Their pictures were plastered all over the building and television and their song was constantly played on the radio.

"We haven't taken the bus since we made it big so why not? I'm tired of being driven around by people I don't even know." Seiya said with a shrug of his shoulders. Taiki frowned and thought of his nice air-conditioned car with the spoiler on the back and the dice that hung around the rearview mirror and of course the tinted windows so they would avoid prying eyes.

"Ne, Kagome, did you hear that?" Sango whispered to Kagome who sat in front of her.

"Nande?" Kagome questioned as she leaned back to whisper to Sango. "Hear what?"

"Look at those guys up there, don't they look familiar?" Sango asked as she pointed to the three guys who had gotten on at the last stop.

"Eh? I've never met them." Usagi said as she shrugged her shoulders and clutched her notebook, which, incidentally, had a picture of Seiya and the Three Lights on it. Sango and Kagome both looked at Usagi and a sweatdrop appeared on their foreheads.

"Are you sure you know who the Three Lights are, Usagi-chan?" Kagome asked with a sweatdrop.

"Huh? Of course I know who they are, who wouldn't know them?" Usagi asked as she clutched her notebook to her chest.

"Well I've never heard of these "Three Lights"." Miroku said as a vein popped out in his forehead. He sat next to Sango and looked very jealous that the three girls swooned over celebrities that they would never have a chance to meet. It was ridiculous to have a crush on someone so up there, it's not like the celebrity would every return to feelings. Especially for three girls that acted extremely immature for their ages.

"That's because you're a perverted priest." Sango commented dryly. The other two nodded their heads in unison while they said 'Umm hmm, umm hmm' together. Miroku frowned and a sweatdrop appeared on his forehead. He would never win against three girls, they outnumbered him. Don't make any sudden movements... He thought to himself as he sat there with his arms crossed over his chest. Miroku sighed and his head drooped forward. How had gotten stuck with two immature girls and one that slaps him around?

"That has to be them, Sango-chan." Kagome said as a giggle erupted from her. "There's Taiki, look!" Kagome exclaimed as she pointed to the shortest of the three guys. "I thought he'd be taller in person, though."

"Hai, and his hair isn't a shiny as it is on television either." Usagi said as she peered over at the man.

"I thought he was thinner too." Sango said as she frowned at the idol who sat a few seats up.

Taiki heard this and a vein popped out in his forehead. He stood up and glared at Seiya while he growled in annoyment. Those girls had gone too far! They sat there and talked about him like he wasn't even there. His hair was shiny! He's not THAT short! And her most certainly isn't chubby!!

"Seiya!" He growled as he took a step across the bus and flipped the headphones off of the taller man's head. "We're getting off of this bus right now!"

"Huh? Doushite?" Seiya asked as he looked at a very angry Taiki. Maybe anger wasn't the right word, Taiki was fuming...

"It's stuffy, it's cramped, and those girls over there are getting on my nerves." Taiki said so only Seiya could hear. Seiya looked in the direction Taiki had indicated and flashed the three girls his award-winning smile.

"Ah come on, they're fans. We can't afford to lose any fans, Taiki-kun." Seiya said absently as he waved one hand. Taiki frowned and went back to sit next to Yaten who seemed completely uninterested in the events around him. Seiya stood up and walked toward the three girls. He stopped at the seat in front of Kagome and Usagi and flashed the smile again.

"Is this seat taken?" He questioned as he hold onto the seat for support and held his headphones in his other hand. Not one of the girls were able to speak and merely shook their heads in unison. Seiya lazily dropped down in the seat and leaned back against the window. He pushed his bangs back and closed his eyes briefly. He smiled when he saw the love-struck looks on all three of the girls' faces. Usagi was the first to regain her composure enough to talk to the hunky guy who sat in front of them.

"Are you really Seiya from the Three Lights?" Usagi questioned as she looked intently at the guy who had plopped into the seat ahead of them. A sweatdrop appeared on the guy's head as well as Kagome, Sango, and Miroku.

"Usagi-chan, if you're not sure, don't act like you know him..." Kagome mumbled as she bopped Usagi on the head. Usagi whined at the contact from her best friend's hand.

"Oi, be nice to me Kagome-chan." Usagi whined as tears welled up in her eyes. "Ne, can we stop and get some sweets?"

Seiya just watched the group of girls with a grin on his face. This blond girl was interesting. She seemed to clueless and innoncent. He couldn't help but think she was cute, especially the way she pouted at her friend's comment. They were an odd group, though. Two of them were dressed in the same school uniform and seemed to know each other very well, but the other two were a little out of place. One was dressed as a monk or priest but his garb was very old-fashioned and the girl next to him was dressed in an old-fashioned kimono and had something that looked like a giant boomerang. The girls had all but forgot about him when there was a loud explosion and the bus began to skid on water. The bus lurched forward as the tires squealed against the pavement. Instinctively, Seiya grabbed the two girls closest to him by the arms and dove over the seat. He forced them down and protected them with his body. [A.N. Of course Miroku did the same for Sango, but not without a few grabs/gropes along the way ~.^] The bus finally stopped and Seiya halfway sat up to see if the girls were all right. Both of them stared at him wide-eyed and said nothing.

"Stay here!" He instructed as he headed for the door of the bus. His two companions were already headed out the door when he joined them.

"Daijoubu ka?" Miroku asked as he helped Sango to sit up. She nodded her head and stood up, ready to fight whatever had caused the accident. "Come on, we have work to do." Miroku said as he grabbed Sango's boomerang and led her out the door of the bus. Usagi and Kagome followed close behind.

****

Sesshoumaru had always hated when he was forced to obey someone. At this point, he had no choice, though. His master was much too strong at this point for him to have any kind of a chance. Although he was stronger than Inuyasha and Kouga, he was still a long way below their master. That's why all the youkai listened to him, they feared for their lives. Soon, though, very soon Sesshoumaru would break through. Once he had the Shikon no Tama for his own, he would be strong enough to take over. Sesshoumaru frowned deeply at the weak youkai he was forced to keep with him for the time being. The only thing this one had going for him was his size. He was bigger than some of the houses in Tokyo, he could fit a person in his mouth and have them able to sit without having their head touch the roof of his mouth. Though, of course, he was slow and very dumb. Then again, most of the serpent youkai were pretty much alike, big and dumb. Sesshoumaru hated when he was forced to work with weaklings, that Inuyasha was no different than this dumb creature. With one swipe of his claws, Sesshoumaru would be able to slice them both to ribbons if given the opportunity.

Ever since Sesshoumaru could remember he and Inuyasha had been at odds with each other. They weren't really rivals at all, though. They just hated each other with a passion. Inuyasha was disgusting... for a dog youkai he was a disgrace. He was so incredibly weak it made Sesshoumaru sick to his stomach. Their master still had some plans for the younger youkai so he was unable to kill Inuyasha at that time. Though Sesshoumaru knew it wouldn't be much of a fight, he looked forward to tearing Inuyasha's arms off watching the blood pour out and cover the ground. He frowned at the though of Inuyasha and glanced down at the green guy by his side. Jaken was a strange story. Sesshoumaru didn't even remember how he had become his assistant. It seemed like such a long time ago... Hell, it was a long time ago, a few hundred years by all accounts. They had been forced to stay dormant that whole time so his memory was slightly blurred. He remembered that Jaken had come along with him at his own choice, though why, Sesshoumaru wasn't really sure. Why would anyone follow and practically worship such a heartless killer? Oh well, he was a good companion though he was weak. It gave Sesshoumaru someone to walk with on journeys and someone that would break the silence that always surrounded him. Although he didn't talk much, Sesshoumaru didn't like the constant silence, that's why he was so angry now. He had been kept buried for hundreds of years half-awake and in complete silence. He couldn't take the silence, that's why he didn't kill Jaken.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, we're approaching the Shikon no Tama." Jaken explained as he stopped and looked up at the top of the sewer tunnel. Sesshoumaru hated the sewers... he had been forced to trudge through the slime in the sewers instead of being on the surface. It disgusted him to be so weak and so much of a coward. Just a little bit longer... He assured himself as he paused and turned to the serpent youkai. He merely pointed up and the serpent crashed through the top of the tunnel. On the way up the serpent hit the water line so water shot out of the ground in great torrents and made a grand entrance for such a lowly youkai.

****

The four people reached the scene of the explosion to find a huge serpent-like youkai what spewed poison onto the streets.

"Kuso." Sango mumbled as she put the mask over her face. "Get to higher ground everyone!" Sango shouted to all of the people who ran away and coughed from the poison. "That goes for you guys too!" Sango shouted as she turned to Usagi, Kagome, and Miroku. Miroku frowned and grabbed at the prayer beads wrapped around his hand.

"Get behind me everyone!" Miroku shouted as he prepared to release the air void and suck in the youkai. Sango saw what he meant to do and ran behind him just as he pulled the prayer beads off of his hand and released the air void. "Kazaana!!" As soon as the black hole was released the wind picked up and the air-born poison was sucked into his hand. The serpent came closer from the force of the wind and just as he was about to be sucked in, a green whip snapped his hand and Miroku was forced to close the air void. Miroku fell backward and gripped his hand, which seared with pain. Sango dropped to his side to see if he was all right when a voice spoke.

"Give me the Shikon no Tama." An emotionless voice demanded as a man with silver hair and golden eyes landed on the ground in front of the small group. He was dressed in a loose fitting kimono-like outfit with armor over his chest and a big fluffy tail over one shoulder. Sango's eyes narrowed on the silver-haired man as she gripped the boomerang on her back.

"Hiraikotsu!" She shouted as she threw the boomerang at the man with her full strength. The man merely cracked his whip and the boomerang fell to the ground in half. Sango gasped in shock. That boomerang was made of bone and he had cut it in half like it was made out of butter.

"Leave them alone!" Usagi shouted as she stood in front of Sango and Miroku with her arms out to the side. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed on the blond human that stood in front of him. If there was one thing he hated, it was a human who tried to be brave. He could smell her fear as she stood in front of her friends. He didn't understand this human loyalty thing. The only one you need to worry about is yourself, if you worry about others, it's a weakness. That's why Sesshoumaru had no real friends, because he didn't know how to trust.

"What are you going to do, human?" Sesshoumaru questioned without any emotion on his face. Usagi didn't answer, she stood her ground with a determined look on her face. "Are you going to die for them?"

"If it comes to that, yes." Usagi said simply as she glared at the silver-haired man. He looked strangely familiar to her... almost like the other youkai who had kidnapped her the previous day. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed on the girl and he turned toward the serpent youkai.

"Kill her." He instructed the youkai. The youkai seemed all too please to comply with that order. He had a taste for human flesh and now he would have it fresh and still wriggling. That was the best way to eat humans, when they were still alive because they wiggled all the way down. At least, that was the opinion of this particular youkai.

The serpent growled in anticipation as it wrapped it's tail around her waist and pinned her arms to her side. Usagi squirmed and wiggled as she tried to free at least one arm. Once she did that, Usagi wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she knew she'd think of something. The youkai brought Usagi toward its mouth and prepared to bite down into her. Usagi continued to squirm and managed to free one arm just as the teeth closed around her. Usagi found herself in pitch dark while she sat on something that was wet and sticky. She felt her stomach do flip-flops at the smell of the cavernous mouth. It smelled like a mixture of blood and rotten flesh. She felt her stomach heave when she saw the old bones that were stuck between the monster's teeth. When she saw this, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her screams echoed down the youkai's throat into his stomach and all the way out of his nostrils and ears so everyone in the vicinity was able to hear her. She frantically began to pound on the youkai's teeth with her fists and was shocked when the huge mouth opened and the tail of the youkai wrapped around her waist again.

"Don't do that!" The youkai bellowed in anger as he felt the contents of his stomach slosh around. Usagi struggled against the youkai but was unable to free herself from his iron grip.

"Let me go!" She cried as she struggled against the strong grip of the youkai. She twisted this way and that to no avail and watched in horror as she was brought back up toward the mouth of the youkai.

"Mars Flame SNIPER!" A clear voice cut through the air as an arrow of fire shot at the youkai. Usagi felt her body start to fall and cried out in fear as the ground loomed closer. At the last possible second, a flash of light caught her eye and then she flew through the air. She looked at the person who held her and saw a woman with a long black ponytail wearing a skimpy outfit made out of, was that leather?

"Stop right there, youma! We won't let you continue to destroy the city!" The same clear voice rang out as another arrow struck the youkai. He cried out in pain as the arrow went into his eye and he was blinded.

"Daijoubu ka?" The woman who held Usagi questioned as she landed on the ground several feet on the opposite side of the youkai.

"Usagi-chan!" Sango shouted as she ran toward the blond girl. She was stopped short as the serpent youkai turned his attention to her and Miroku. "Kuso..."

"H... hai." She said as she looked at the weird woman. She looked like one of the Sailor Senshi but her appearance was so weird, even for a Senshi her outfit was way too skimpy. Usagi's thought snapped back to reality as she heard a loud shriek that sounded suspiciously like Kagome. "Kagome-chan!" Usagi shouted as she turned in the direction of the scream. What she saw made her whole body go numb. The man with the silver hair held her around the throat and his hand seemed to radiate with a green light. Even from her spot, Usagi could see that the green light seemed to eat away at Kagome's skin, hence the cry of pain.

"Give the Shikon no Tama to me, human." His low voice demanded as he lifted Kagome a few inches off the ground. Kagome opened one eye to look down at the man as she held his arm with both hands. Not only did his hand cut off her air but the touch of his skin against hers burned. It felt like her skin was going to melt off.

"I don't have it." Kagome choked out as she felt her head begin to spin. The pain was too much for her, she felt ready to pass out.

"Don't lie to me, human." He growled as he fumbled for the chain around her neck.

"Oak Evolution!" A cry rang out and leaves suddenly flew at Sesshoumaru. He growled and leapt into the air, eaily able to avoid the attack. He landed several feet away while he still held Kagome by the throat.

"Release her!" The same voice cried out as Sailor Jupiter charged at Sesshoumaru. He growled deep in his throat, these stupid humans pissed him off greatly. They seemed to think they were a match for him, he'd show them. He released Kagome and the green glow spread out into a long line. He cracked this green string like a whip and managed to wrap it around Jupiter's ankle. With one quick yank, she lie on the ground and held her face with her hands. Usagi saw Kagome on the ground and her heart sank. Her best friend didn't move... she just lay there with her arms at either side of her and her hair spread out around her face.

"Kagome-chan!" Usagi shouted as she ran toward her best friend. She stumbled and nearly fell but continued to run. She was aware that the woman followed her, but she didn't care, Kagome needed help and Usagi was the person that would be able to give it.

"Star Serious Laser!" Sailor Starfighter cried as she sent the attack at the large monster that had been ready to dive in on the blond girl. Kuso... Starfighter thought to herself as she held her ground against the monster. I really hate babysitting... The rest of the Sailor Senshi had arrived on the scene and fought the monster at once. No matter what they threw at it, it didn't seem to be enough to defeat the monster.

"Kagome-chan!" Usagi shouted as she ran past the silver-haired man and to her best friend's side. She picked up Kagome's hand as hot tears stung her cheeks. Kagome's neck was swollen and red and looked like the skin had been melted cleanly off. Usagi swallowed the lump in her throat and her eyes narrowed. She didn't care how many people saw her heal Kagome, Usagi wasn't about to lose anyone else precious to her. She placed on hand on Kagome's forehead and the other hovered a few inches above her chest. Usagi closed her eyes and a soft white light was emitted from her body. Several of the Senshi looked in her direction with obvious shock written on their faces. The wounds on Kagome's neck slowly closed as the wounds began to heal. After a moment more of concentration, Usagi was able to completely close the wounds but fell forward on her hands while she tried to drag in breath after breath of air. Her strength was exhausted and she felt ready to collapse. Kagome's eyes fluttered open to see Usagi above her out of breath. She sat up and immediately took her friend's hand in worry.

"Daijoubu ka?" Kagome asked as she searched Usagi's face for an answer. Usagi smiled weakly and then fell forward against Kagome unconscious. Kagome shook Usagi gently as she tried to wake her up. "Usagi-chan? Are you all right? What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes on the two girls that sat on the ground in front of him. One held the Shikon no Tama and the other had some weird power that he'd never seen before. He decided he'd have to ignore his orders and kill both of them. He didn't need that human with the blond hair interfering in his matters.

"Shine." Sesshoumaru said as he cracked his whip and approached the two human girls.

"Usagi-chan!" Sango cried as she ran toward Usagi and Kagome.

"Sango! Matte! We have to deal with this threat first or else many people will die!" Miroku called as he grabbed her wrist. He couldn't let her go fight that human-like youkai without her hiraikotsu. "Let me use the kazaana!" He said as he pulled the woman behind him. She looked startled as he stood in front of her like he was a shield. "You! Women, get out of the way! Whatever you do, stay behind me!" Miroku shouted as he prepared to release the air void.

"Huh?" Sailor Mercury questioned as she looked up from her computer. She had scanned the monster to find a weakness but the results had not been helpful. "Minna! This priest has a plan!" She called after she ran a quick scan of him. Something weird had come back on her computer that had to deal with the man's right hand.

"Hai!" The all cried in unison and the four women jumped out of the way.

"Kazaana!" Miroku shouted as he unleashed the air void. The wind picked up and seemed to pool into the black hole in the center of Miroku's hand. Everything that entered the void would never be seen again, and that included the serpent youkai that was currently half-way into the hole.

Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome by the arm and pulled her to her feet. She fought him as hard as she could, but he was much stronger. He reached around her neck and grabbed the intricate chain that hung there and yanked it painfully off her neck. She winced and rubbed the back of her neck where the clasp had dug into her skin. Sesshoumaru held the chain up and smirked slightly at the small pink jewel that hung on it. Then he threw Kagome to the ground and cracked his whip with his free hand.

"It's time to die, humans." He said in a harsh tone as he turned toward Usagi and Kagome. Usagi groaned quietly and opened her eyes just in time to see a silver blur run in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing?!?" Inuyasha demanded as he stood in front of the two human girls. "You're interfering in my mission!" Inuyasha growled as he glared at the older dog demon.

"Your mission?" He questioned as he raised one eyebrow.

"Your mission was to bring the Shikon no Tama, that's it! You're not supposed to kill anyone, we can't afford to give knowledged of our existance yet!" Inuyasha growled out as he stood in front of the women. Usagi rubbed her head slightly and looked at the back of the boy who had tried to kill her the day before. It was strange... was he actually protecting them? Sesshoumaru glared darkly at Inuyasha.

"Our boss gave me complete authority over this operation, you don't have the authority to order me around." Sesshoumaru said coldly as he eyed Inuyasha.

"I'm supposed to bring the blond human to our boss. Kill the other one if you like, I don't care but I'm going to complete my mission." Inuyasha growled out coldly as he glared intently at Sesshoumaru.

"Oi! Why won't you just leave me alone you stupid jerk!" Usagi yelled at the silver-haired boy with dog ears.

"Shuttup human!" He yelled back at her but didn't turn in her direction. Usagi frowned and stood up, she wavered slightly but managed to catch her balance. She stalked straight up to Inuyasha and slapped him harshly across the face.

"Onaru!" She growled out as her eyes narrowed into daggers at him. She was rarely angry like this, but she felt about ready to snap. Who does he think he is?!? She thought angrily as she glared at Inuyasha. He acts like I'm a tool or something! Like I'm not even a real person! Inuyasha growled audibly and slapped her right back. She fell to the side and hit the pavement hard. She hadn't expected him to actually hit her back. Sesshoumaru frowned and held up his prize to catch the light. His eyes widened in shock as an arrow flew by and took the jewel with it.

"Nande?!?" He demanded as he turned in the direction of the arrow. His eyes narrowed on an old woman dressed like a miko, a young priest, a youkai exterminator, and four human women in mini-skirts.

"You will not get the Shikon no Tama, demon. Be gone!" The elderly miko said with authority as she fitted another arrow onto the string of her bow and aimed it directly at Sesshoumaru.

::Fin::

Kazaana = Air void (spelling from a fansub, I finally remembered the word ^^;)  
Miko = priestess

I'm sorry I haven't given Usagi much personality, I haven't written in a while so *shrugs* I'm kinda outa my normal groove. Anyway, I promise her character will grow as this goes along. I wanted to write a fic that didn't JUST focus in on Usagi, you know what I mean? As annoying as she is, I like Kagome for the most part *shrugs* So I'm going to be nice *grins* I may not be so nice to Kikyou when she makes her appearance though ~.^ Also, this is based on the fansubs and not the crappy dub that make Inuyasha look like a total wimp . I'm beefing him up cuz he's my favorite IY character *bounces* He's so cute with his lil doggy ears *glomps onto Inuyasha and squeezes ears* Inuyasha: What the hell are you doing?!? Lemme go! P-chan: :P @ Inuyasha. Anyway, I also want to say I'm a big fan of the whole Miroku/Sango couple, I think they're so cute together *grins* Even though Miroku is a big pervert -_-' Anyway, plesae review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. I'm going to try and write a chapter a week but I can't guarantee anything, especially since our browser won't work right now so I can't go online . We're prolly gonna have to wipe the hard drive and reinstall everyting XP it's SOOO unfair *whines* I wish there was a phone jack in my room so I could just hook up my new computer to the net (since it rox *bounces*). 


	4. Chapter 3 Oswari!

****

Uragirimono

Notes: I was just bored one day so I sat down and started writing. I have no intention for this piece. I don't even know why I'm writing it when I have so much still unfinished. I guess I just need a break so I can sit down and get some fresh ideas into my head. I'll go back some day and re-watch some anime and finish some of my ficcies, but I really don't know when. I'm tired of writing the same old cliche fics and I just wanna have a lil fun again. Anyway, this'll be a Sailor Moon, Inuyasha ficcy (since that anime rox^^ I finally got to see it, fansub of course ~.^). Anyway, I really don't want to make this a romance, but if it takes that turn *shrugs* gomen. Well, that's all I'm gonna ramble on about for now. Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. Also, check out my fanfiction contest on my site The deadline will be around/before x-mas. I'll set a definite date when more people enter the contest.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are _italicized  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

****

Chapter 3 – Oswari!

The elderly miko held the arrow tightly against the bowstring and drew it back as far as it would go, her arm steady and aimed directly at Sesshoumaru. Miroku and Sango stepped up behind the miko and prepared to rush in and save Usagi and Kagome when they were given the opportunity. The four Sailor Senshi stood back a few steps, it seemed that the strange people before them knew what was happening around them. Of course fighting monsters was nothing new for the girls, they just didn't know the strengths of their enemies. They had no clue what they were after and while they had been fighting, their attacks didn't have much effect on the monster.

"I do not fear you, human." Sesshoumaru said calmly as he walked toward the arrow that was stuck in a telephone pole with the Shikon no Tama dangling from it on it's intricate chain. He reached out a hand to grasp the treasure and blue and pink light shot from the arrow and he was forced to withdraw his hand. He turned around and glared deeply at the miko who still held her bow ready to let loose the arrow. He could not touch the arrow because it seemed that the priestess placed a barrier around the jewel, therefore he would never be able to touch it.

"Leave now, youkai, or I will finish you off." The older woman said as she stared out of her one good eye. She was dressed in old-fashioned robes with a white top and red pants that floated around her legs. She had a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder and there was a patch over her eye. Sesshoumaru frowned deeply and leapt into the air, he stretched his arm upward and a youkai with two heads came down and he managed to grasp the saddle-horn strapped to its back. Sitting on the saddle was a small youkai with green skin and a staff that appeared to have a shrunken head on the top of some grotesque monkey. _[A.N. that's what it looks like... a shrunken monkey's head *wrinkles nose*]_

"How about you?" The priestess asked as she turned and narrowed her arrow on Inuyasha who growled low in his throat and stood in front of Usagi. Usagi sat on the ground, her cheek flamed red where the dog demon had struck her moments before.

"Keh! I'm not afraid of an old hag like you." Inuyasha said while he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his face away. The miko's eyes narrowed and she released the arrow. It spiraled through the air and caught Inuyasha in the shoulder. He flew backward and hit a tree planted near the sidewalk. His eyes were wide in shock and he reached up his hand to grasp his shoulder, which was throbbing pain all throughout his body. As his hand grasped the arrow, pink sparks shot through his hand and he withdrew it from the arrow. "You old witch!!! What the hell did you do?!?! Let me go!!" He roared as blood seeped through his red top and began to drip down his arm that lay limp at his side.

"I warned you, youkai." The priestess said simply as she walked toward the Shikon no Tama. She easily pulled the arrow from the pole and called for Kagome to go to her. Kagome approached the old woman and put out her hand for the jewel.

"Are you Kaede?" Kagome asked when the miko dropped the jewel into her hand. Kaede nodded her head in response and motioned for them to follow her. Inuyasha was left pinned to the tree while he shouted curses and growled after them.

"Hai, you four, follow me." She said as she motioned to Kagome, Usagi, Sango, and Miroku. "The rest of you go about your business. I thank you for protecting the jewel, but we can manage from here."

"Demo-" Sailor Mars started but was cut off when Kaede raised her hand to silence her.

"I said to go about your business, this does not concern you." Kaede said calmly as she walked down the street with the four people. No one said anything as they walked to the end of the road and turned the corner. On top of a large hill stood the shrine they had been headed toward before the attack. They walked up the long flight of stairs and by the time they reached the top, both Usagi and Kagome felt they were going to fall over and faint from exhaustion. Why did they always put shrines at the top of hills? "This way." She said as she turned to the left and they followed her into a side entrance. They took their shoes off at the door and followed Kaede into a small interior room. She said behind a table. "Would anyone like some tea?"

"Hai!" Usagi cried as she put her hand in the air and a large smile spread across her face. She didn't even notice Kagome next to her shaking her head.

"Usagi-chan, we're not in school. You don't need to raise your hand..." She mumbled. Usagi blushed slightly and took the cup Kaede offered her.

"I bet you want to know about the Shikon no Tama, am I correct?" Kaede asked as Kagome and Usagi began to stuff their faces with the cakes and sweets Kaede had set in front of them.

"Hai." Miroku said as he looked away from the two girls and faced Kaede who took a sip from the small cup in her hand. "We were on our way here when we were attacked by those demons." Kaede nodded her head with her eyes closed as she took another sip from her tea.

"It is as I feared, the youkai have been reawakened because power of the Shikon no Tama has been reawakened. It has been five hundred years since youkai walked the planet." Kaede said simply as she set her empty cup on the saucer. "Legends say that a priestess used the power of the Shikon no Tama five hundred years ago along with her blood to banish the youkai to eternal sleep when they became too powerful. It is unknown what happened to the powerful miko, but legends say that she was consumed with the power of the jewel and it destroyed her."

"So you mean she's dead?" Usagi asked as she chewed with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Not quite. She became consumed by the jewel and became a force to be reckoned with. She became stronger and more deadly than the demons of that time. She destroyed families, towns, and the country side." Kaede said with a frown.

"So this miko took on the characteristics of a demon?" Miroku asked as he looked at Kaede. The elderly miko nodded and turned her attention to her cup, which she refilled from the kettle sitting next to it.

"Of course, these are only legends. No one knows what really happened or how she was defeated." Kaede said simply as she stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea.

"If that miko went insane from the jewel, are we supposed to destroy it?" Kagome asked, her full attention on the miko. The jewel hung around her neck on a chain. "I'm not a miko, what am I supposed to do with it? Please take it!" Kagome asked as she slipped the chain off and held it out to Kaede.

"I cannot take that." Kaede said as she set her cup back on its saucer and shook her head. "It burst from you, that means it is yours to protect until it has been purified." Kaede said simply.

"But I can't protect it. You saw today, that demon nearly killed me! If it weren't for Usagi-chan, I'd be dead!" Kagome cried as she thrust her hand out toward Kaede again. Kaede frowned and pushed Kagome's hand back toward her.

"If it came from inside you, then you have more than enough power to protect and purify it!" Kaede snapped. "Otherwise, it would have been entrusted to someone else!"

"I'm only a high schooler though!" Kagome nearly shouted in panic. "I can't protect it!"

"Calm down, Kagome-chan." Usagi said as she placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. Kagome jumped at the touch but quickly regained her composure. "I'm sure Miroku-sama and Sango-chan will help you protect it. And of course I'll help you." Usagi said as she smiled at her best friend. Kagome managed a weak smile in return but couldn't help feeling overwhelmed.

"Of course we'll stay with you." Sango said as she placed a hand on Kagome's other shoulder. Kagome smiled at Sango and felt her heart start to beat again. She wasn't alone, her friends would stick with her so it would be an easier burden to bear.

"I almost forgot!" Usagi nearly shouted as she stood suddenly. "What about that dog guy?! He was trying to kill me again, I _know_ it!!" Usagi cried as she looked frantically around the room.

"I pinned him to that tree with a spiritual arrow, it won't hold him for too long, though. I need to think of a more permanent fix." Kaede said as she stood and walked over to a bookshelf. "I've been searching through these books for a spell that will keep the demons at bay but I haven't had any luck yet."

"Demo! He's going to come after me again!" Usagi cried as she put her hands over her face. That guy was scary... especially his eyes... they were so full of hatred.

"There has to be something in one of these books. If I had some help, it would be faster to find a way to keep them at bay." Kaede said as she pulled a book from the shelf and flipped it open.

"Ah! We'll help Kaede-sama!" Usagi cried as she jumped up and rushed over to the bookshelf. It was only one shelf so it couldn't take too terribly long to find a spell, could it?

****

Usagi flopped onto the ground laying on her back. It had been hours since they'd been started their search through book after book. Most of the books were old and moth-eaten and you could barely read the text on the pages because they were so old and faded. They had managed to get through the whole bookshelf in a few hours, but Kaede had escorted them down to a hidden cellar below the shrine.

She walked into the interior rooms of the shrine to a broken candle bracket on a wall. She pulled down gently on the holder and a small hole in the wall opened. It was pitch dark so they couldn't see more than two feet into the passageway. From what they could tell, it led downward. Kaede reached into her robes and pulled out a candle and a lighter and quickly lit the candle. She motioned for them to follow her into the passageway. They headed downward into the gloom until they reached flat ground.

Kaede took a few steps forward and pulled what looked like a torch off the wall and lit it with the candle in her hand. She walked around the room and lit more torches and put them back into their brackets. The dim light flooded the room and illuminated shelf after shelf of books. It looked like no one had been down there in years by the amount of dust and cobwebs that covered the place. It was like a whole library was hidden beneath the shrine, it was going to be impossible to find a charm to hold the youkai off. At least, that's the way Usagi felt...

"This is a secret library of this shrine. The priests and priestesses of this shrine have guarded this for centuries. The books contain information on any creature imaginable. Werewolves, vampires, witches, you name it, it's here. We just have to find a charm to hold off the youkai until the jewel is purified. Once that happens, they will have no need for it and we may be able to find a way to banish them for all eternity." Kaede explained as she pulled a book with a green cover and flopped it onto the dusty table, which sent up clouds of dust and caused everyone to start to cough.

After several hours of searching, the five people felt discouraged. They hadn't found so much as a sleeping spell for youkai. They must have searched about a tenth of the library by now but they were no closer to solving their problem. They were tired, hungry, and ready to give up. All of their eyes were puffy from the dust that covered every inch of the room and coughed often as more poured into their lungs.

"Any luck yet?" Usagi asked as she sat up and faced Miroku. He frowned as he flipped through the pages in the old book with a dark brown cover. The title of the book was written in gold print, but Usagi was unable to make out the words because the cover was frayed and tattered. Miroku sighed and stood up to return the book the to shelf nearest him.

Usagi frowned and stood up. She picked up one of the lit candles and wandered through the shelves to the one farthest from her. She ran her fingers over the books as she made her way toward the back room. She would glance down at the titles of the books once in a while. _The Art of Tea Making_, _Charms for Common Household Pests_. The titles that she was able to make out didn't seem to be important in any way. It even looked as if there were a few cookbooks of some sort. By the looks of some of them, it seemed that some of the books were for witches in training instead of priestesses. She reached the back corner and reached up to light the torch. She tried to pull it out of its holder, but it was stuck. She set the candle down on the floor and used both hands to pull on the torch. It was probably stuck in the holder from being left there for so many years. As she pulled, the torch tipped toward her and hung upside down on the wall.

"Oops..." Usagi said quietly as she tried to fix the torch back upright. She stopped when she heard a rumbling noise behind her. She stood completely still as she turned around. A small passageway had opened up behind her. She gulped nervously and picked up the candles. _I should probably get the others..._ She silently mused as she took a few hesitant steps toward the darkened passageway. She glanced back toward her companions, who seemed so far away. She hadn't realized how incredibly big this place really was. Her curiosity won out, though, and she headed through the passageway. She found herself standing in a dark passageway but she was unable to see where it led. She was just about to turn around and head back to get the others when she heard that same rumbling noise behind her. She spun around just in time to see the lights from the opposite side of the library disappear.

****

Inuyasha was pissed... that was an understatement really. He was _beyond_ pissed. He was ready to kill, he didn't care who it was, but hoped it was that miko who had shot him earlier. He stalked through the streets and ignored the stares he received from the humans. When a little kid pointed to his ears and reeled away from him, Inuyasha reached down and plucked the baseball hat from the boy's head and placed it on his own. The kid was close to tears when Inuyasha lowered himself in front of him and bared his teeth in a devilish smirk.

"Want it back, kid?" He asked as he pointed to the hat. The kid shook his head with tears in his eyes. "Good." He said and stood back up. He stalked down the street further and stopped every now and then to sniff the ground while he searched for the blond girl's scent. It was really hard to miss her smell, all he had to do was follow the scent of lavender and tea leaves. _She smells good..._ He thought absently as he found her scent on the ground, then recognized the thought that went through his head and narrowed his eyes. "Stupid human girl..." He muttered to himself as he pushed the alien thought from his head. He hadn't really thought that, he knew it. She was a human, the weaker species, they were destined for destruction. If not by the demons, then by themselves. They were a species that would eventually die out because of weapons of their own making. They were inferior...

He continued down the street in this fashion. He'd stop to sniff the ground or the air once in a while and glare at the people who gave him funny looks. It's not the way he would like to spend his afternoon, but this was a mission he _had_ to complete because of his previous failures. It didn't even occur to him that he shouldn't walk down the sidewalk in sight of humans. They didn't want to blow their cover just yet. Though those Sailor Senshi who seemed so popular were already on to them. It didn't matter, they would be easy to deal with. They were out numbered several thousand to one. If they couldn't beat them any way else, the sheer numbers would overwhelm them. Then there was that priestess and her little group of followers. They might prove to be a little more troublesome. After all, it was a priestess who had sealed them originally. The old woman's arrow had packed a powerful punch. It had taken Inuyasha several hours to wiggle off the end of it. He hadn't been able to pull it out, so he wiggled his way slowly up the shaft and pulled the arrow the rest of the way through until he was free. It had been quite painful, but it would heal quickly. That was one plus side to being a demon, in a few days it would be gone. There wouldn't even be a scar to remember the wound by.

Inuyasha stopped and glanced to his left. There was a long flight of stairs and her scent headed right up them. They didn't even _try_ to hide their scent from him. That amused him greatly. Either they prepared a trap for him at the top of the stairs or they were extremely dumb. _Probably the latter..._ Inuyasha thought as a smirk broke out across his face. This was going to be too easy. As long as he didn't encounter that stupid priestess again, he'd have that little human girl. She was no match for him, just another weak human. _Why am I supposed to kidnap someone so weak?_ He mused absent-mindedly. _It doesn't matter... that's our boss's business._ He reminded himself. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he thought too much about it. The ones who ask too many questions never last very long. The ones that had their own mind were all lying ten feet under... maybe deeper. That is... if there was anything left of them to bury. Inuyasha shuddered slightly as he jumped up the steps, he skipped several steps in between each leap.

"I'll get you blondie..." He said with a smirk on his face.

****

Usagi pushed against the wall that had closed behind her with all her weight against it. It didn't even budge... She tried to yell for the others, but all it did was echo around her, she received no reply from any of them. She turned around and leaned against the wall while she let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"All right, calm down Usagi. This will be just fine. Once they notice you're gone, they'll go looking for you." Usagi said to herself as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I might as well see what's down here. Someone went to alot of trouble to hide something, it seems." She mused to herself as she picked held up the candle and headed down the hallway. At the end of the hallway was a set of stairs that led down. _How deep does this place go?_ Usagi questioned herself as she set off down the narrow stairs. She could hear dripping water somewhere off in the distance as she made her way down the steep stairs. They were slick and Usagi nearly fell three times on her way down. She was getting ready to turn around when her foot hit solid ground.

"Finally..." She breathed as she walked deeper into the secret room. She held up the candle to light the room, but it didn't do much good. In order to see anything, she'd need a torch. She felt her way along the wall as she tried to find a torch. Her hand brushed over something wet and slimy and she pulled her hand back. She turned the candle toward the wall to see what it was and drew in a deep breath to prepare for the ear-splitting scream that followed. Leaning against the wall was a skeleton... it's sunken eyes stared back at her from the empty sockets and a few clumps of hair still clung to the scalp. She abruptly dropped the candle and covered her face. Unfortunately for her, the candle went out and rolled across the floor away from her. She shuddered in the darkness, her mind still trying to process what she had just seen, "I'm not afraid of ghosts... I'm not afraid of ghosts..." She whispered under her breath to try and calm her nerves before she began her search for the candle. At least in the pitch darkness, Usagi didn't have to look into the face of that skeleton again.

She bumped into a table and stopped abruptly to run her hands across it. She stooped down and ran her hands across the dry floor but all she could feel was dust and dirt at this point. She moved to her right and ran her hands across the floor as she inched her way forward. She was about to give up on finding the candle again when he hand ran over something smooth and slightly warm. She picked it up and began searching her pockets for the matches Kaede had given to her earlier that day, "Yatta!" she said to herself as she found the matches and quickly lit one. She put the flame to the top of the candle and re-lit it. The room was again bathed in the pale light from the candle as she walked back toward the table.

She walked over to the table quickly and began to lift dusty papers and books in the hopes of finding something useful in all of the garbage. Usagi started to get frustrated so she shoved all of the paper off the desk and onto the floor. Lying hidden under the papers was a book whose a cover so faded Usagi couldn't read it. She flipped open a few pages and found that the words were faded as well, and the words were written in a sloppy handwriting that was hard to decipher anyway.

"Why did this have to be so hard?" She whined to herself as she flipped open the page to something about a 'Sit' command, at least that's what Usagi thought it was. It was marked with these weird beads with fangs that Usagi had noticed lying on the table amid all of the dust and grime. She began to read the words under her breath because they were actually legible compared to the rest of the book. It seemed many people had written the book and this person was better with a pen than the other one.

"Are you ready to die?" A voice whispered into her ear. Usagi went rigid and tightened her grip on the book while she looked straightforward at the wall in front of her. Unbeknownst to her, though, the beads had begun to glow a dim purple.

"I… iie…" She murmured as she looked straight and her eyes began to fill with tears. The tears broke out into full-blown sobs a few moments later as she slammed the book shut, stood up, and whirled around to face Inuyasha. The candle light from the table illuminated his glowing golden eyes as Usagi backed up right against the table.

"If you come quietly, I won't have to hurt you." Inuyasha said menacingly as he flashed his fangs at her and flexed the muscles in his hand.

"Just leave me alone, baka!" Usagi shouted as her fear turned to anger. "Don't you have anything better to do than picking on me?!?" He was taken aback by her sudden anger and took a reluctant step back. When had she gotten so brave? Every other time he'd approached her, she'd cowered away and started to cry. Oh well, he was halfway there, she was still crying. "Baka dog!!" Usagi shouted in anger and the strange glowing beads flew from their place in the book to around Inuyasha's neck.

"What the hell is this, human?!" Inuyasha demanded as the beads settled into a necklace one-by-one. Usagi was a little startled when he took a few steps back and started to tug at the beads that hung around his neck. While he was distracted with that, Usagi flipped the book open again to look at the writing. She didn't notice him abandon his attempt to free himself from the beads as he advanced on her again. She read the page in front of her, but the corner was burned so she couldn't make out what she was supposed to do after she had spoken the 'spell'. "Come on, baka!" He growled as he grabbed her wrist and turned her arm over painfully. She dropped the book and squeezed her eyes shut as he wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her tightly to his body.

"Itai! That hurts! Let me go!!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. She felt her feet leave the ground as Inuyasha turned and headed back toward the passageway. Her wrist was still twisted at an odd angle, so her eyes were still shut.

"Shuttup, human." Inuyasha growled into her ear. He released her wrist and put his hand over her mouth tightly. So tightly, in fact, that Usagi had to breathe in through her nose and was having trouble doing so. She was halfway over his back with her arms pinned to her sides and his hand covering her mouth. She couldn't believe how incredibly strong he was. She couldn't even wiggle her face enough to bite his hand, which she was trying desperately to do.

She could see the lights from the other side of the underground library from the torches of her friends. She could faintly hear their voices and heard her name spoken by a male voice.

"Kuso…" Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he appeared to listen while they walked past. "They already miss you… they'll be onto me right away, then…" He murmured quietly to himself. Usagi wiggled even more determinedly as she saw the shadow of Miroku headed in her direction. _Miroku-sama!!_ Her mind screamed as his shadow came closer and closer. She heard Inuyasha curse again and hide behind a bookshelf.

Usagi found her legs her free and thrust her knee as hard as she could into his stomach. She heard air rusting out of his lungs and his grip slackened slightly. It was enough for her, though.

"Help me!!" She shrieked into the quiet of the room and then everything was moving.

"I'll kill you, baka!!" Inuyasha yelled as he flung her over his shoulder and took off. She heard pounding footsteps and saw Miroku, Sango, Kaede, and Kagome running after them.

"Minna! Help me!" Usagi shouted as she found valiantly against Inuyasha. He was too strong for her, though.

"Hang on, Usagi-sama!" Miroku shouted as they ran after the demon. They were up the stairs and headed for the outside.

"What was that spell about?" Usagi asked herself as bright sunlight hit them when they burst outside. She heard Sango shout 'hiraikotsu' and a boomerang went whizzing past. That's when she remembered the name of the spell. "Oh yeah! It was 'Oswari'!!" Usagi shouted in revelation. Usagi screamed in fear as she felt her support give way, then she was laying on the ground on top of Inuyasha.

"Nani?!" Kaede said as she stepped out into the light. "What did you do, child?" Kaede asked as she looked at Inuyasha, who was quickly regaining his composure and shoved Usagi off of him roughly. Inuyasha reached to his neck and resumed his frantic wish to pull it off. When it got up by his chin, it would glow magenta and remain on him.

"All I did was say 'oswari'." Usagi said to herself in slight surprise. She heard a loud thud behind her and turned to see Inuyasha on the ground again.

"You've done it, child!" Kaede said as she approached the blonde girl. "You have found a way to keep the youkai in check!"

"Honto ne?" Usagi questioned as a smile broke out across her face. She turned to face a scowling Inuyasha with a smirk on her face. "You'd better tell your 'master' that you have no power against us now, baka."

"Keh! As if I'm afraid of your stupid word." Inuyasha said as he stood and crossed his arms over his chest with his eyes closed and his face turned to the side.

"Inuyasha, oswari!" Usagi said and he fell to the ground again. She laughed to herself and plopped onto the ground next to him. "Ne, why do you let someone tell you what to do?" Usagi questioned to the sprawled out Inuyasha. She heard a growl emanate from his throat and thought it best to take a step back. Miroku and Sango had closed in around Inuyasha and held their weapons ready to strike the now powerless demon if things should go wrong.

"What business is it of yours?" Inuyasha demanded as he forced himself up again and jumped into the air. He landed in a nearby tree and turned away from her before he jumped again and disappeared into the horizon.

"Daijoubu, Usagi-chan?!" Kagome called as she approached her best friend. Usagi turned to her and a smile broke out across her face.

"Hai, daijoubu." Usagi answered and yawned. "Can we take a break now?"

****

It had been a few hours and the sun had now set when they had come back upstairs from the hidden room. A look of disappointment covered the faces of the five people, though. In Inuyasha's scramble to kidnap Usagi, he had inadvertently knocked over the candle and of all the luck, it had landed on the book with the spell. Now they had no weapon against the youkai.

"It's not fair." Usagi whined as she flopped down backward onto Kaede's couch. "And after all that work to!"

"Don't worry, Usagi-sama, we'll find something." Miroku said as he smiled down at the blonde girl.

"Ne, Usagi-chan, we should probably go home now." Kagome said as she stood up from the chair. "Mom will be mad if we're too late. We've already missed dinner, but maybe there will be some leftovers in the fridge."

"I hope so, I'm really hungry." Usagi said as she sat up and faced the girl. "Your mom is such a god cook." She said with a smile. Usagi stood up and stood next to her friend. "So, what are we waiting for?"

"Well, you girls certainly can't go alone." Miroku said as he slung an arm around each of the girls' shoulders. "What kind of a man would I be if I let the mothers' of my children walk around late at night alone?" A vein popped out in the foreheads of three girls and there was the distinct sound of a hand hitting flesh.

****

::Fin::

October 2, 2003

Itai = Ouch  
Oswari = Sit  
Honto ne? = Really?

All right, I finally thought of a title, "Uragirimono" which means 'traitor' (you will see why this is titled this way in later chapters). Anyway, I thought it was kinda cool to have a Japanese title (specially cuz I couldn't think of one *blushes*) then I was reading through this list of words I picked up somewhere and it stood out to me *grins* so here it is **Uragirimono** *grins and bows* took me a prologue and three chapters to find it though *blushes more* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had fun writing it *grins* Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net That's all for now!


	5. Chapter 4 Baka Human!

****

Uragirimono

CJ-chan: *grins* Yup, there's still a ways to go but it'll be good, I promise ~.^ Inuyasha is a great series, you should watch it some time if you get a chance^^  
Birdgirl: Hehe^^ I'm glad you like the twist. Mars and the other Senshi have the same fukus, it was a little confusing how I explained that particular scene. I said that Fighter landed near Mars or something and the Starlights look like they're wearing leather.  
Jewel, I aM cHaOs, and Anime Gurl16: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. This one came out a lot faster than that one I'm happy to say *beams* so be happy^^  
Senshi's Tenshi: Thank you for the long review^^ I love it when ppl sit down and write out a nice review. You see I took your suggestion in the fact that Usagi heals Inuyasha ~.^ I don't think it's quite time for her to keep him yet, though^^  
Sailor Ronin Usa-chan: *bounces and hugs imouto* I'm glad you like this story. I'm having a blast writing it^^ I like how I re-worked the series' too^^ I had a vague idea and I just sat and thought about it for a while and got a pretty good plot line. Don't worry, it'll get juicier in the next chapter ~.^ Also, I'll write a chapter for "A New Star in the Sky" next^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are '_italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are '_italicized' _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

****

Chapter 4 - Baka Human!

"Ready to go, Kagome-chan?" Usagi called up the stairs. Sango and Miroku had enrolled at their school even if Miroku looked too old for high school. If anything happened, they needed to be there to protect to two girls and the Shikon no Tama. They just said he had been in a terrible accident so he was behind the other students. Usagi had to admit that he looked nice in his school uniform, though.

"We're going to be late!" Sango called up the steps after she glanced down at her watch.

"I'm coming!" Kagome called down the stairs to her waiting companions. After a minute or two more, they were someone thumping down the steps. After the first few steps, the thunks were louder and faster and were accompanied by a shrill 'Itai!' as a heavy object hit the floor.

"Hey Kagome! Did you fall down the steps again?" Souta called to his sister from the kitchen where they waited for her.

"Oi, Souta-kun," Usagi said while a frowned graced her face. "That's not very nice!" Souta's face turned bright red with embarrassment as he nodded his head slightly. Usagi was oblivious to the change in color of his face, though.

"Itai… that really hurt…" Kagome grumbled as she came into the kitchen rubbing her sore backside.

"Don't worry about it, Kagome," Usagi said as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead. "I did it earlier…" A large sweatdrop appeared on Miroku, Sango, and Souta's heads before they all three fell to the ground.

"Those two are something else." Sango said in amusement. She hadn't known the two girls for very long, but they had a way of making all of the people around them grow attached.

"I don't know what else." Souta said as he stuck out his tongue and pulled down the lower lid of his eye. He turned around, grabbed a piece of toast, and ran out the door.

"Kagome, make sure you get something to eat before you leave." Her mother said as she walked into the room with Kagome's grandfather in tow.

"Hai, mama!" Kagome said as she grabbed a piece of toast and jammed it into her mouth.

"I'm so glad you're finally taking an interest in becoming a Miko!" Her grandfather said as a stream of tears flowed from both eyes. The previous day, Kagome had asked him to put some charms around the house to keep the youkai out. It had been Kaede's idea to put up the charms to keep away evil spirits so they wouldn't have any incidents like the previous days when Usagi had been taken during her sleep. Kaede had even given her the papers to put around the house, Kagome had merely asked her grandfather permission to glue them all over the houses, fences, and trees.

"Nani!?" Kagome cried as she grabbed another piece of toast. "I never said that!"

"Kids these days…" Her grandfather mumbled as he put his arm up to his eyes that still had streams of tears from them. "… don't care about tradition… our families secrets will be lost…"

"Come on Kagome-chan! Or we'll be late again!" Usagi said as she grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her out of the house after their two companions.

"Do you run to school every day?" Miroku asked as he jogged along behind the three girls _[A.N. We all know why he's behind them… -_-' hentai…]_.

"Hai, normally it's Usagi's fault, though!" Kagome accused as she smirked at the blond girl running beside her.

"Is not! You're the one that slept in!" Usagi shot back as she stuck her tongue out at the dark-haired girl.

****

Inuyasha limped across the ground as he headed for his "den". His boss had been furious to see that Inuyasha had failed in his mission again. It shouldn't have been so hard to kidnap a simple human girl with no supernatural powers besides the healing power. Inuyasha knew he had broken ribs and perhaps a broken arm and ankle. He cursed quietly as he pushed open a crude door, which was nothing more than a few wooden planks anchored to the wall with some strips of worn leather. He slowly walked over to the corner where was dripped from a crack in the stone above into a small, but deep, hole in the ground. The room was dimly lit by a few torches that had been lit by a weaker youkai that didn't have much to do with the fighting.

Inuyasha lowered himself to the ground next to the small water hole and thrust his hands into the water. He splashed the water on his aching face and let its coolness seep into his skin. After he reveled in the feeling for a few minutes when the water started to warm up to match the temperature of his skin, he reached his hand across the floor next to him and grabbed a dirty rag. He plunged it into the water and rinsed it as thoroughly as he could in the dim light. He pulled it out and rung the extra water out before he took his shirt off and tossed the bloodied remains of it behind him _[A.N. Yum!]_. The sound of blood dripping onto the stone floor joined in with the sound of dripping water as he began to bathe his wounds.

"Stupid girl!" He growled to himself as he grabbed for a roll of grubby bandages that lay on the floor to his side. The wounds that were bleeding now would be healed, or almost healed, in a few days. The broken bones, however, would take several days or even a few weeks to heal depending on how back the fractures were.

He silently cursed himself for coming back at all. If he chose not to return, someone would have come after him to kill him, though. He wasn't ready to die just yet. He had to get back at that blond girl for her trick. He winced slightly as he pressed too hard against his chest and slumped forward in pain. '_Kuso…'_ He thought to himself as the pain and loss of blood began to catch up with him. He crossed his arms over his chest and struggled to pull arm into his lungs before he fell to the ground into unconsciousness.

****

"Aren't you a little old to be a high school student?" A girl with raven-black hair asked Miroku during homeroom.

"He was in an accident during middle school and was able to attend so he's a little behind." Sango said indignantly to the nosy dark-haired girl.

"Hino-san! That was really rude!" Kagome scolded as she narrowed her eyes on the other dark-haired girl. Rei just shrugged her shoulders and turned to the girl on her other side with brown hair up in a ponytail _[A.N. This is AU so I'm having Rei go to the same high school]_.

"Settle down!" The teacher said as she entered the room. Behind her stood three familiar figures. "I'd like to introduce three more transfer students." She said as she motioned to the three behind her. There was whispering all around as the three stood at the front of the classroom. "Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki will be attending classes with you from now on. It's very odd to have this many transfer students during the school year, let alone five in the same day. Even so, please do your best to welcome them to the school."

"Yaten! Sit here!" A girl with long blond hair with a red bow said as she slapped the top of the desk in front of her. She was very excited and seemed really pushy.

"Is this seat taken?" Taiki asked a girl with really short blue hair. She blushed and shook her head 'no' as the tallest took the seat next to her.

"Oh? It's you again, odango!" Seiya called as he plopped down in the desk behind Usagi, leaned back, and put his hands behind his head and feet up on the desk.

"Baka! Don't call me that! My name is Tsukino Usagi!" She growled as a vein throbbed in her forehead. "U-sa-gi! [1]"

"Quiet down, class! It's time to begin!" She nearly yelled over the murmur of whispers.

"So, would you mind showing me around, odango?" Seiya whispered quietly as he leaned forward in his desk. Usagi went rigid at the nickname and growled audibly.

"It told you my name is Usagi!" She yelled as she stood up and turned to face Seiya.

"Tsukino-san! Is there something you would like to share with that class?" The teacher demanded. "Or do you want to continue yelling something we all already know?" Usagi's faced turned bright red as she slowly turned around and sat down.

"All right, Usagi. Will you show me around?" Seiya whispered to her again.

"I'm showing Miroku and Sango around already." Usagi said a-matter-of-factly. She didn't like this guy already. Sure he was cute, but he seemed kind of arrogant and annoying.

"Then you won't mind if I tag along." He said as he leaned back in his seat again with a smirk on his face. Usagi's mouth dropped open as she turned and put her finger in the air.

"Is there something else you'd like to share with us, Tsukino-san?" The teacher said close behind Usagi. Usagi jumped and turned around to face the fuming teacher. "You can get his autograph after class!" Usagi nodded and looked at her desktop with her cheeks flaming red.

****

"Lunch time!" Usagi called as she walked down the hallway with her three friends and one extra. For some reason, the long-haired guy just bugged Usagi. He picked on her as if he knew her or worse… wanted to get to know her better. Usagi frowned at the thought. _Heh… As if he'd go for me anyway._ Usagi told herself as a smile played across her face. The group of five walked outside into the sun with their lunches and settled down on the grass under a tree.

"It's so pretty out today." Sango said as she leaned back in the shade and took in a deep breath. She was about to sit up when she felt something on her leg creeping upward. She flew up and slapped Miroku hard enough across the face to send him to the ground. He lay there with a red mark in the shape of a hand on his face and swirls in his eyes as he lay in a daze.

Seiya seemed a little surprised and nearly dropped his sandwich, but the girls didn't even seem to notice as they ate in silence with their eyes closed. Sango shot a glare over her shoulder at Miroku, but when she turned around, a small smirk covered her face. She had started to enjoy picking on him… even if it did get violent more often than not. Miroku slowly sat up and picked up his sandwich and began to eat in silence.

"Was it worth it?" Seiya asked as he raised an eyebrow at the other guy sitting across from him. Miroku grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Definitely worth it!" Miroku said with the same goofy grin on his face. In a half a second flat, Miroku was on the ground again and three annoyed girls held little mallets in their hands _[A.N. I know it's getting a lil goofy, but I have to pick on the pervert a lil bit ~.^ It'll get serious again, I promise^^]_.

"Ne, odango. Does he do stuff like that a lot?" He questioned as a grin spread across his face. Usagi nodded with a sweatdrop on her forehead.

"Hai, he's such an ecchi." She said as she looked over at Miroku.

Unbeknownst to them, there was a pair of golden eyes on them the whole time during their lunch. Inuyasha had hidden himself in a tree near where the group was sitting to watch the blond girl. There had to be a moment when she was alone, even if it was just a few minutes, it would be long enough to grab her. He cursed himself for letting her go before. If he had grabbed her then, none of this would be happening now. He frowned slightly as he caught a new scent. '_What the hell is he doing here?!'_ Inuyasha wondered to himself as his frown turned into a scowl.

"Is this a comfortable tree, Inukoro?" An arrogant voice asked from the side. Inuyasha turned to face Kouga and growled deep in the back of his throat.

"What the hell do you want this time, Yaseokami? Were you sent to check up on me again?" Inuyasha growled as he looked over at the blue-eyed wolf.

"Iie, this is a personal reason," Kouga said as he smirked to himself and looked down toward the group of people under a nearby tree. "I see you haven't made any progress in your mission, though."

"That isn't any of your business." Inuyasha growled as he turned his attention back to the group. He winced slightly as he leaned on his arm against the tree. He had nearly forgotten the throbbing pain in his arm because he had gotten used to it.

"Well, I'll see to my business right now." Kouga said confidently as he jumped down from the tree and began to stroll toward Usagi's group.

"Nani!? What the hell are you doing, baka!" Inuyasha growled down at the wolf. Kouga just waved a hand over his shoulder at the dog demon as he approached the group.

"Does that mean you're failing English?" Kagome was saying to the blond girl as she took another bit of her pudding.

"Well-" Usagi stopped before she could answer and her eyes widened in shock and fear.

"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?" Sango asked as she saw the sudden look of fear streak across her face. "You can't be doing that bad, can you?" Usagi shook her head and pointed at who was walking across the grounds toward them. Everyone turned in the direction Usagi was pointing and was immediately on alert, even Seiya.

"Oi, you," Kouga said as he pointed at Kagome. "You're coming with me, you're my woman now." Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in anger.

"Wait a minute, baka." She started but was cut off when Miroku stepped in front of her.

"What do you want with her?" He demanded as he narrowed his eyes on the approaching demon.

"It's like I said, she's my woman." He said confidently as he stopped in front of Miroku.

"Iie." Miroku said calmly. Seiya stepped up next to the dark-haired priest with his normal grin on his face.

"Come on boys, what's with this tension?" Seiya asked as he put an arm around both of them. Kouga growled in the back of his throat. He grabbed Seiya's arm and flipped him over, then slammed him into the ground.

"Don't touch me, human." He snarled at a startled Seiya. How could that small guy be so strong?

"This is out of your league, Seiya. Get out of here." Miroku said calmly. Seiya stood up and walked next to Miroku.

"Come on Kagome, Usagi," Sango said as she gathered the two girls together. Both girls followed Usagi's lead as they ran across the yard toward the school building. They would be a lot safer inside because the amount of people would most likely dissuade the youkai from following. "Keep an eye out, you guys. Wolves hunt in packs, there's bound to be more around here."

Inuyasha followed the girls and concealed himself as best as he could. He could smell more wolves around. _'Damn cowards…'_ Inuyasha thought as he followed the females. _'They can't do anything alone…'_ He stopped when he saw two wolves come out of the bushes and head straight for the girls. Of course since they are humans, they can't outrun wolves. Inuyasha smirked to himself as his opportunity to grab the blond girl came. While the priest was taking care of Yaseokami and the youkai exterminator was taking care of the other wolves, the blond would be vulnerable. He watched as the one with the Shikon no Tama and the healer headed into the building and followed without gathering the attention of the youkai exterminator.

"We have to hide, Kagome-chan!" Usagi cried as the two girls ran at full speed through the building. Classes were going on, but neither girl cared, they just had to find a place to hide and fast.

"Can't they smell us, though?" Kagome questioned as they skidded to a stop in front of the stairs.

"If we head to the basement we might be able to find a door that will close more securely." Usagi said as the two girls burst through the door and headed down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the first flight, Kagome tripped and fell against the wall. She hit her head hard on the wall and slumped to the ground. "Kagome-chan?!" Usagi cried as she saw her friend fall. "Daijoubu ka?" Usagi asked as she shook the girl. "Kagome-chan!!" She heard the door open and close almost silently above and held her breath. She could hear sniffing on the floor above and grabbed Kagome under the arms to drag her across the floor. Usagi found a closet big enough for one person and put Kagome inside. She didn't have time to look Kagome over right yet, not with some youkai after her.

She walked silently into the dark basement and found a broom lying against the wall. She picked it up and raised it like a baseball bat as she continued to back into the room. She bumped into something hard and jumped until she realized it was only a wall. Then she thought about it… If it was a wall… Why were their curtains? She reached behind her without turning around and touched the wall. It was shaped funny; it had curves and bends. She gulped and slowly turned around to face a boy with dog-ears and golden eyes. She took a step back and swung the broom as hard as she could. He caught it and crushed the handle with ease.

"This time you won't get away, human," He growled as he advanced on her. Usagi started to walk slowly backward and tripped over a chair that had been toppled. "This time you're going with me." Usagi was scared this time. His eyes were glowing like she hadn't seen before with something she couldn't quite decipher… Was he in pain? That's when she remembered her last encounter with him.

"O… Oswari!" She cried at the top of her lungs. The beads around Inuyasha's neck glowed pink and then he fell to the ground with a loud crash… and didn't get up… "N… nani?! Did I kill him?!?" She cried as she started to panic. "Oh my god, I killed him! I killed him!!" She said as she started to dance around frantically.

"Uhn…" A groan came from behind her and made Usagi jump. She had forgotten about stuffing Kagome in the closet a few minutes before. She turned to leave him and check on Kagome when a hand clamped around her ankle. She screamed in alarm and jumped back.

"Oswari!!" She cried again as she scrambled away from the dog-eared guy on the floor. He groaned in pain, but Usagi was already opening the door to the small closet to let Kagome out. "Daijoubu ka?"

"Usagi-chan?" Kagome questioned as she blinked up at her best friend. "Why does my head hurt so much?"

"Erm… You fell down the stairs again… This time you hit your head on the wall, though," Usagi said with a sweatdrop on her forehead. "Here, let me heal you and it'll go away, ne?" Kagome nodded her head and Usagi placed a hand on Kagome's head. She closed her eyes briefly and a dull silver glow emanated from her hands to heal the bump on Kagome's head.

"Arigato, Usagi-chan." Kagome said as she stood up and faced the blond. She jumped when she heard a groan coming from across the room and ran her hand along the wall to find a light switch. She found one and flicked the light on. Light spilled through the room and illuminated a figure in red on the ground. He was lying in a puddle of some dark, almost black, liquid that surrounded him.

"Eh?! He's hurt!" Usagi cried as she ran to his side.

"Demo, he's a demon! If you heal him, he'll try to kill you again!" Kagome argued as she grabbed Usagi by the shoulder and pulled her back.

"But he's hurt! He could be dying!" Usagi argued as she kneeled at his side.

"Baka human! I don't need your goddamn help!" He growled as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. All of his wounds had been sealed that morning, but after two sit commands, all of them had ripped open and the pain began anew.

"I don't care! I can't let you die here! I've already let people die that shouldn't have so I have to make up for it!" Usagi cried as she put one hand on each of his shoulders. She closed her eyes and her hands began to glow silver once again as she healed her enemy.

"Usagi-chan! Don't!" A voice from the doorway shouted. Too late, though.

Inuyasha smirked as he sat up and shoved Usagi away violently. She flew backward against a nearby wall and slumped slowly to the ground. She was still conscious but she was confused. She had just saved his life and he was going to kill her now. She didn't know why, but she felt that there was some good in him. Maybe because he had let her go that one time. But maybe that was really just a one-time thing; maybe he was really serious about killing her.

"That was really stupid, human," He said as he walked toward her with a confident smirk on his face. "I've never met someone quite as dumb as you."

"Leave her alone, baka!" Miroku shouted from the other side of the room. Inuyasha approached Usagi slowly flexing his claws the whole way. "Use the command! Usagi-sama!"

"Having compassion for the enemy is a sign of weakness," Inuyasha continued as he walked. "Stupid human and your compassion. You'll die-"

"I always have people calling me dumb." Usagi interrupted as a look of contentment crossed her face. "I know I'm not smart or strong. That's why I wasn't there to save my family. I'm tired of people dying. I'm not going to sit back and watch someone die again!" Inuyasha took a step back when she shouted the last line and looked up at the same time. She had tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him. He didn't quite know how to take it… Why was she crying?

"Eh? Are you crying?" He asked as he took another step back. He had a look of uncertainty as he edged closer to her. "You are crying? Are you that weak?" He was confused. She seemed really brave that was certain. She stood up to him when he threatened to kill her. Even the look of terror on her face had lessened with each encounter. If she was that brave, why was she weak? It didn't make sense to him.

"Kazaana!" Miroku shouted as he pulled the prayer beads off of his hand and aimed it in Inuyasha's direction.

"Stop!" Usagi cried as she stood up and jumped in front of the silver-haired boy. "Stop fighting! I'm sick of it! O-negai!" She felt the wind that had been pulling at her stop abruptly as Miroku wrapped the beads around his hand once again.

"Usagi, he's going to kill you!" Sango said as she burst in the room. She didn't have her boomerang but she was still about to fight.

"So, did I miss anything?" An arrogant voice asked from behind them.

"Nani?!?" Sango and Miroku said together as they turned toward the new voice.

"How did you get away?!" Miroku demanded as he dropped into a fighting stance. "Those sailor-people were supposed to keep you busy!"

"Heh! They were no match for a youkai. Baka humans!" Kouga said as the smirk spread across his face. "You ready to go, woman?" He called across the room to Kagome.

"Nande?!" Kagome cried as she looked at the demon. Her cheek puffed up and her eyes became red with anger as she glared at him. "I'm not your woman, baka!" She growled across the room at him.

"Eh? Inukoro, you're here too? Wow, it's just turning into a party isn't it." Kouga said as he crossed the room and draped and arm lazily around Usagi's shoulders. Usagi went rigid but made no move to remove the arm from her shoulder. "So, are you saying this human is your woman, then?" Kouga asked with the normal smirk on his face.

"Nani!?" Inuyasha growled at the wolf. "Keh! She's just a stupid human. Unlike you, my taste doesn't run toward humans. Especially weaklings like her."

"Inuyasha, oswari!" Usagi yelled in anger. The beads around his neck began to glow and he crashed to the ground. "Oswari, oswari, oswari!" He hit the ground three more times and was absolutely furious when he stood up.

"I'll kill you, human!" He growled. Usagi shoved Kouga away and raised a finger at Inuyasha.

"Will you now?" Usagi asked as a small smile spread across her face. "You talk really big considering all I have to do is say 'oswari' and you have to listen." He crashed to the ground and Usagi blushed slightly. "Oops?" Inuyasha stood up and growled deep in his throat.

"Eh?" Kouga looked back and forth between the two people with confusion written across his face. "She has control over you?" A smile spread across his face at the realization. "The boss will have you killed for sure. And I'll be the one to do it. Ja na, Inukoro." He turned around and headed toward the exit nonchalantly. Sango and Miroku didn't do anything to stop him because they didn't have their weapons on them. "I'll be back to get you later, woman."

"Kuso!" Inuyasha shouted in anger as he turned and punched a hole in the wall.

"Ne, Inuyasha," Usagi said to get his attention. He looked at the blond and frowned as he saw the smile on her face. "Why don't you join us?"

"Eh?" Inuyasha said as he took in the earnest smile on her face. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Keh! I don't need any of you bakas. You're on your own." He crossed the room and headed for the doorway. They let him go because they had won this time.

"Matte!" Usagi said as she ran after him. She ran up the stairs after him and caught him just before he would have gone out the door. The rest of the group came running up behind her. "You can't go back."

"Nande?" He asked as he raised and eyebrow at the blond girl.

"Because of what they'll do to you," Usagi said in earnest. "They'll hurt you again."

"Why would you care, human?" He asked skeptically.

"Because I just healed you a minute ago and you're going to go get yourself hurt again!" Usagi argued. "I'm tired of people getting hurt when they don't have to!"

"You're naïve. When I come back, you're dead." Inuyasha said with a scowl.

"You won't be able to get close enough to kill me," Usagi said as her eyes narrowed in determination. "Remember, I have an advantage over you. You'll never be able to get those beads off, so get used to it." He just glared at her and, for once, didn't say anything in reply. "Tell me, why does your boss want me? Is it because of my powers?"

"Hmph!" Inuyasha turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm done answering questions. Ja na."

"Baka! I'm not done!" Usagi yelled as he disappeared down the hallway and around a corner.

"Don't worry about it, Usagi-chan. He's not a threat anymore." Sango said as she put a hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Odango!" A voice called from the other end of the hallway. Usagi turned to see Seiya running at full speed toward them. He stopped in front of the group of people and leaned over to catch his breath. "Daijoubu ka?" He asked as he checked her over briefly for injuries.

"Hai, I'm all right," Usagi said as a smile spread across her face. "Those guys didn't hurt you, did they?"

"Iie, Miroku held him off and I went after you guys. I didn't know where you went, though. I've been looking for you," Seiya said as a look of relief crossed his face. "Why were those guys after you?" He asked as he turned to Kagome.

"He thinks I'm his woman or something." Kagome said as an indignant look appeared on her face and she crossed her arms over her chest. Seiya smiled and reached into his bag. He pulled out some pieces of paper that were long and relatively thing.

"Here, you should come to our concert tonight," Seiya said as he thrust the tickets into Usagi's hands.

"Concert? But, it's been sold out for months!" Usagi said as she looked down at the tickets in her hands. "Ahh! They're real!!" She squealed. "Minna, look!!"

"Yatta!" Kagome and Sango said in unison as they danced around in happiness. Seiya and Usagi laughed and Miroku just stood there with a sweatdrop on his forehead. He was going to have to see through hours of listening to the girls gab about the concert, then how every many hours of listening to the actual concert. He took a deep breath and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

"Make sure you stop by afterward to see us, ne?" Seiya said as he winked at Usagi and began to walk down the hallway toward class. "Ja na!"

"We're going to the Three Lights concert!" Usagi squealed in anticipation.

"Ahem!" A loud cough caught their attention. Usagi and the other turned slowly to see the principal standing next to them. "Why aren't you students in class? Do you have hall passes?"

"Erm…" Usagi said and scratched the back of her head as a sweatdrop appeared.

"Detention, all of you!"

****

::Fin::

[1] This refers to the part in Inuyasha when Inuyasha thinks Kagome is Kikyou (when he first sees her) and she says, "My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me!" I just switched the name and person saying it^^

Nani?! = What? Huh?  
Nande? = What?  
Daijoubu ka? = Are you all right?  
Demo = But  
Oi = Hey  
Itai = Ouch!

Well, that's it for this chapter *grins* I love where this story is going. I know this chapter seemed a little bit rushed, sorry for that and I know Seiya is a lil out of character. I just wanted to have him tease Usagi a little cuz it's cute *grins* I really like Seiya, he's not supposed to be portrayed as an idiot here. I also really like Kouga and Miroku^^ Even though I brought Miroku's perversion to the surface a lot in this chapter *grins* It's just funny seeing him get slapped. This chapter was meant to be a little goofy so I could lighten the mood a little bit. This fic might be a little dark the further I get in so I wanted to give you a little humor^^ Anyway, please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net Also, one of my imoutos and I opened a graphics site called Icy Waters if you wanted to check it out ().


	6. Chapter 5 Lilies and Blood

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Uragirimono

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

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Anime Gurl16: Actually I didn't announce the pairings, but after this chapter it's pretty obvious ~.^ Though I may through in a few twists (it's likely to happen… I do that lots^^).  
**Gackt Camui**: Hehe, well I hope you enjoy it then ~.^ This is my baby at the moment^^ I'm having so much fun writing it^^  
**Senshi's Tenshi**: Yatta! Long review *bounces* Well, something DID happen at the concert, but I changed it up a bit ~.^ Man… I'm getting a lot of different storylines going here aren't I ^^; I have SOOO much planned for this story, I wonder if I'll be able to use it all *HUGE sweatdrop* Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but I got kind of stuck for a while there^^; Only took me a day to write it once I got past that sticky point^^

BTW: I realized after I posted the previous chapter that I spelled Osuwari wrong . so from here on in, it won't be spelled 'oswari' like I wrote before, but 'Osuwari' (it means 'sit' for those that do not know, I think it sounds better with that word than just plain sit ~.^). 

Thoughts are _italicized  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

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Chapter 5 - Lilies and Blood

Usagi, Kagome, and Sango had been upstairs for two hours getting ready for the concert Seiya had invited them to. They hadn't expected to go to a concert so it was a struggle searching through both girls' closets for appropriate clothes to wear to the concert. It had been tough, though. Usagi had been nearly in tears where she didn't find anything in her closet she wanted to wear.

"Mou, this skirt is too short." Usagi whined as she pulled down on the short, black skirt. Usagi had bought the skirt in Middle School and had grown a few inches since then so it was pretty short on her and hugged her hips tightly.

"It's supposed to be short, Usagi-chan." Kagome said as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead. Kagome was wearing a red halter-top, short black skirt, and black chunky shoes. Sango stood beside her dressed in a one piece, strapless dress that was baby blue in color. Her hair was down with small braide here and there and streaks of silver and baby blue decorating her head.

"I never dress like this," Sango said with a blush as she tightened the strap of her white shoes that laced up her calves. "This outfit really isn't me."

"Not you too, Sango-chan!" Kagome whined as she finished putting on her lipstick. She had pulled her hair up in two sloppy buns on either side of her head and had streaks of red and glitter in her hair.

"Can you blame her? We're going to a concert with a perverted monk." Usagi said as she adjusted the sparkly, black tube top that she was wearing. She had chosen to put her hair up into two odangoes on either side of her head… a hairstyle she hadn't worn since her family had been taken from her. She had decided that she wasn't going to hide anymore, though. Since Inuyasha had been trying to kill her, she had realized something. By changing the way she looked and acted, she had been forsaking her family's death. They wouldn't want her to mourn for them forever. They would want her to be happy with her new family just like she had been when they had been alive. So she decided to move on and regain her sunny exterior in memory of the family she loved and missed. She smiled to herself and bent down to pull on the top of her knee-high boot.

"Ready minna-san?" A voice from outside the door asked after a quiet knock. "The concert starts soon, you wouldn't want to be late, na?" The only reason Miroku had chosen to go to the concert was to protect the girls. He doubted that anything would happen in the middle of a huge crowd but he had to make sure the Shikon no Tama and it's holder were safe. At least, that's what he told the girls… His real motives involved the groping of scantily-clad fangirls in the crowd using the excuse that someone bumped him. _[A.N. *everyone sweatdrops*]_

"Hey Kagome, mom wants to see you before you leave. She wants to make sure you're wearing enough." Souta called through the door with his hands cupped around his face.

"Kuso! We're going to have to hide our outfits until we're on our way there." Kagome said as she began to rummage through her closet for long-sleeved shirts and long skirts.

"What's wrong Kagome-chan?" Sango asked as she took the offered outfit from Kagome. It was a long black skirt that reached her ankles with a light yellow, long sleeved shirt and a small bow on the wrists.

"We have to pass inspection before mom will let us leave." Kagome explained as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead.

****

"I can't believe we tricked your mom like that, Kagome-chan," Usagi said as she sat next to the dark-haired girl on the bus. "She's going to find out, you know. Your mom isn't stupid."

"So, when do I get to see your real outfits?" Miroku asked as he winked at Sango. Her face turned fiery red and she slapped him on the cheek. "What was that for?" He pouted as he put his hand on his cheek. "I didn't even do anything, Sango-chan." Miroku whined as he rubbed his sore cheek. Sango frowned and crossed her arms over her chest not facing the monk.

"I know you were planning something, Houshi-sama." Sango said knowingly as she glanced back at the pervert to make sure both hands were in view. They all had learned to watch out for the lecherous priest whenever he was around. He would wait until they were least suspecting it and he would do something perverted.

"This is going to be so fun," Usagi squealed in anticipation. She began to take off the long skirt and shirt and stuffed them into Miroku's bag. "We're almost there minna, might as well walk in with our concert clothes, ne?"

"Hai." Sango and Kagome said as they began to strip down to the concert clothes and shove their other outfits in Miroku's bag, which was nearly bursting at the seams. Miroku's eyes widened as he saw their attire before a smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Don't even think about it, Houshi-sama. Unless you want me to break your hand off." Sango said as she pinched his creeping hand and twisted the skin.

"You mean you don't trust me, Sango-chan?" Miroku asked as he pulled his hand away and pouted ad the dark-haired woman.

****

Inuyasha cursed under his breath as he approached the house of the blond human and her protectors. For some reason, he would not get past the top of the long staircase. There was some sort of barrier around the whole area that was repelling him and preventing him from getting any closer.

"Kuso…" He mumbled to himself as he headed into the bushes that surrounded the outside of the shrine.

"What's wrong, Inukoro? Can't get through to your onna?" A familiar, arrogant voice said close by.

"Here to spy on me some more?" Inuyasha growled back at the annoying wolf youkai.

"If you fail again, our master is going to kill you." Kouga said in a bored tone as he absentmindedly cracked his knuckles.

"Keh! Don't you have anything better to do?" Inuyasha asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm just here to pick up my woman, baka. You might to pull that stick out of your ass while you're waiting. We may be here for a while." Kouga said as he leaned back on the slope and put his hands behind his head lazily and closed his eyes.

"Get lost, Yaseokami," Inuyasha growled at the wolf as he cracked his knuckles in annoyance. "Your scent is making me sick."

"Heh! Then why don't you leave and take your stench with you. I'm waiting for someone." Kouga said as he opened one eye and glared at the dog demon beside him.

"Keh! I have a job to do. Shouldn't you be doing something more important than picking up human girls?" Inuyasha growled as he glared at the lazy wolf demon.

"Hmmm…?" He asked as he peeked his eye open again and looked at Inuyasha. A smirk slowly spread across his face as he eyed the dog demon. "I am."

"Ne, are you guys ready to see the Three Lights in concert?" A female voice called out, which caused both demons to freeze and turn toward the voice. They saw them… the two human girls, the priest, and the taijin.

"This is going to be so much fun," Kagome squealed. "I've never seen them in concert, and we have backstage passes too."

"Kagome-chan, they go to our school," Sango said with a sweatdrop. "We can see them whenever we want."

"Demo, it's so much more fun because Seiya-kun personally invited us to come." Usagi said with a smile on her face.

"Ne, I think Usagi-chan has a crush." Kagome said as she peered over at the girl with a suspicious look on her face.

"Nani?" Usagi asked as a brush slowly broke out across her face. "He's just some rich idol. Sure he's cute, but he's probably really stuck up too." Usagi said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oi, you can't tell us that you don't like him, Usagi-chan," Sango said as the same expression as Kagome's spread across her face. "Ne, Kagome-chan, should we try to set them up?"

"Eh? Set me up?!" Usagi demanded as her face turned bright red. "I already told you, he's a famous idol. He's probably dating one of those popular movie stars that we see on television."

"You never know until you ask him." Kagome said as she bounded down the stairs toward the bus stop.

__

'Heh… this will be easy…' Inuyasha thought to himself. _'I just have to catch her off guard and knock her out before she can use her word on me.'_ He thought to himself as a smirk spread slowly across his face.

"Finally, I was starting to think they'd never leave," Kouga said behind Inuyasha as he jumped to his feet. "Ja, I'm taking off with my woman."

"Baka!" Inuyasha growled as Kouga took off at full speed toward the small group of people. Inuyasha caught up to him before he broke out of the bushes and tackled him from behind. He immediately slapped his hand over the wolf youkai's mouth and kept him pinned to the ground using his weight. He waiting until the group was out of earshot before he let the wolf up from the ground.

"What the hell are you doing, you bastard!" Kouga growled as he shoved Inuyasha away from him. He sniffed his clothes and growled low in the back of his throat. "Now I have dog stench all over me!"

"Baka! Leave that human girl alone until I complete my mission or I'll personally end your life!" Inuyasha growled as he raised his claws, which grew a few inches.

"Heh! Why should I, Inukoro?" Kouga demanded as his face twisted in anger.

"That onna put these damn beads around my neck. I have to catch her by surprise before she uses her word on me!" Inuyasha growled. "And you're not going to blow it for me by letting her know we're here, smelly wolf!" Kouga glared at the silver-haired, dog demon but didn't disagree.

"Fine, when you grab the blond, I'll take my woman then." Kouga said as he turned away from Inuyasha and crossed his arms over his chest. _'Stupid mutt… You won't succeed in this mission… I'll make sure of it. Then I'll get all the glory when I steal the Shikon no Tama… hell, why should I give it to our master? If I have it, no one will be able to touch me.'_ Kouga thought as a smirk spread across his face.

****

Miroku sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. He was all alone in the middle of the crowd. Kagome, Sango, and Usagi were close by, but they were too into the concert to pay attention to him. And all of the girls around him had parted when he tried to grope them so he was alone in the crowd.

"Is this concert almost over?" Miroku whined as he put his hand on Usagi's shoulder. Usagi's body stiffened at his touch but she just glanced over her shoulder at him then picked his hand up off of her shoulder and dropped it.

"There's only one more song." Usagi explained carefully.

"Don't tell me you suspect me too, Usag-chan?" Miroku whined as he reached out his hand and grabbed hers. "I really thought we had something. By the way, will you bare my child?" A large sweatdrop appeared on Usagi's forehead and her left eye began to twitch.

"Hentai!" Usagi cried as she pulled her hand away from him. She didn't slap him like Sango would; she didn't feel it was right to hit any person, especially a priest. "How many times have I told you, no! I'm only 16 years old; I can't have a kid! It's not happening." Usagi said as she turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What a pervert."

"Why did they let a guy like that in here?"

"Isn't he a little old to like the Three Lights?"

"Do you think he's gay?" Voices were whispering all around them as the concert continued. Miroku took in a deep breath and let out a disappointed sigh. He thought he would make the best of this concert, but it seemed that no body wanted anything to do with the handsome priest.

"And this song goes out to a strange but beautiful odangoed girl I met recently," Seiya was saying in the microphone over the loud din of the crowd. "Where are you, Odango?" Usagi's face turned red as she heard his nickname for her. His eyes fell on her and he reached out his hand for hers. "Come on up here beautiful." He said as he reached his hand out toward her. The bouncers moved out of the way as Usagi approached the stage and reached up for his hand. _'Why is he doing this?'_ She asked herself, still very embarrassed. '_I've only just met him and he'd dedicating a song to me?'_

Search for your love! Their most popular song began as fireworks went off behind them. Usagi's face was blazing red as she listened to his song that he had dedicated especially to her.

Inuyasha smirked slightly as he pushed through the crowd. He had managed to snatch some clothes off of a clothesline that someone had hanging in their backyard. He wore a baseball cap he'd snatched off some kid's head and a jean jacket he'd pulled off the clothesline. Kouga was walking behind him, but had taken a long black sheet off of the line and wrapped it around himself like a cloak. Inuyasha frowned at the wolf's appearance. He would draw attention to them dressed like that.

"Ne, look at that boy's silver hair!"

"Wow, it's so pretty!"

"It looks soft, let's go touch it!" Inuyasha's eyes widened as a group of about ten girls surrounded him and began to pull at his hair.

"Nani!? Let me go, bakas!!" Inuyasha yelled as he grabbed his hair out of their fingers. "Beat it!!" The girls' shot him nasty looks and used a few nasty words before they resumed their viewing of the concert.

"What a jerk! I bet he's never even had a girl friend!"

"Really, why would anyone want to date him? Sure, he's cute but he has a mean personality."

Inuyasha only growled low in the back of his throat and made a mental note to never wear his hair down around a large group of human females again. He was following her scent through the crowd. It was amazing he didn't lose it with all of the other scents in the arena and all of the people. Her scent had someone been imprinted on his mind. It was like lilies on a spring day and the slightest hint of the soap from her bath.

The song ended and the crowd roared in response. Inuyasha had to read his hands up to his head and cover his ears as the sound broke out so suddenly. His sensitive hearing enhanced the noise ten fold.

"Give it up for the Three Lights!" A voice came over the loud speaker, which prompted the crowd to yell even louder. Inuyasha had his hands clamped over his ears as he glanced up at the stage to see what had these human's so excited and he saw her… The blond woman who smelled so good. _'Nani?!? She does NOT smell good!!'_ He yelled at himself as he began to shove people out of the way. _'Good, her protectors aren't around now. I'll be able to snatch her right out from under their noses.'_ He thought to himself as he leapt into the air above the humans and landed on the stage. He smirked to himself as he balled up his fist and sent it into her stomach hard.

Usagi eyes went wide as she saw a red blur burst from the crowd. His speed was amazing… she felt his fist in her stomach at almost the exact time she saw him burst from the crowd. She felt the air rush out of her lungs and she slumped against his chest.

"Good night, human." Inuyasha said as Usagi's eyes slowly closed and she went completely limp in his arms.

****

"Do you think it was a good idea to let Seiya take her on stage with him?" Sango asked as Seiya reached his hand down toward the blond girl.

"I don't see why not," Miroku said to her. "I don't think the youkai would be stupid enough to try and kidnap her right out from under our nose in such a crowded place. Besides, Seiya is with her." Sango nodded slowly and turned back toward the stage. As much as she was enjoying the concert, she felt a bad vibe in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like to be somewhere in public unarmed when there were monsters running about trying to kidnap her friend.

"Ne, I'm going to go get a drink before the concert is over." Kagome said as she turned and ran toward the concession stand.

"Matte Kagome-chan!" Sango called after her as she stretched out a hand toward the dark-haired girl. "Kuso…. This is bad…" She mumbled to herself.

"Nande? Is something wrong Sango?" Miroku asked as he saw the serious expression on the demon exterminator's face.

"I just have a really bad feeling about this…" Sango said slowly as her eyes darted around the crowd. "I don't like being unarmed in such a crowd… Something is going to happen…" Miroku nodded his head and began to scan the crowd in the opposite direction. He stopped when he felt something familiar hidden in the crowd.

"Sango, do you feel that?" Miroku asked as his eyes narrowed in the direction of the power he sensed.

"Aa… I feel strong jyaki from two places." Sango said. "You go after that one, I'll go after this one." She said as she disappeared into the crowd.

"Matte! We should stay together!" Miroku called after her, but she had already disappeared in the mass of teenaged girls. "Kuso…" He mumbled to himself as he turned toward the other jyaki he felt. Then he remembered something… Kagome… She was all alone and had the Shikon no Tama on her. "Kagome-sama!" He yelled as he ran toward the concession stand to grab the girl before something grabbed her.

****

"Is this where it is?" A childish voice asked as they floated over a large stadium full of people. The creature underneath him said nothing but let out a quiet growl. "Yosh! We have to get the Shikon no Tama and become strong!"

****

Sango had just pushed through the crowd when she saw a familiar figure leap into the air. _'That was… Inuyasha!'_ She thought in horror as her eyes followed his leap. He was headed straight for Usagi.

"Usagi-chan!! Run!!" Sango yelled at the top of her lungs. It was no use, though. The demon was much too fast even if Usagi could hear her over the roar of the crowd. "Kuso!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she began to bound her way through the girls. Everyone thought it was just part of the show so they were clapping and cheering.

"Let her go, you bastard!" Seiya said as he took a step toward the demon. He still had his microphone on so everyone in the audience knew exactly what he had said.

"Let me through!" Sango yelled as the bouncers barred her way. "I don't have time for this!" She shouted as she kicked one of them in the face. She dug her foot into his back when he landed on the ground and jumped up onto the stage.

"Grab her!" The bouncers were yelling after her, they were strong but had absolutely no speed so they hadn't even managed to hoist themselves up on the stage yet.

"Get out of my way!" Inuyasha growled as his eyes flashed red and his nails grew longer. A jagged purple stripe appeared down either side of the silver-haired demon's face and he grabbed the hat off his head and flung it to the ground to reveal two fluffy dog ears on the top of his head. Seiya didn't budge from his spot as Inuyasha ripped the jean jacket to sheds and flung the unconscious girl over his shoulder.

"Release her now!!" Seiya said as he lunged at the demon with his fists ready.

"Sankou Tetsusou!!" Inuyasha yelled as he struck out at the idol with his claws. He caught him right across the stomach and the dark-haired man crumpled to stomach as blood began to pool around him on the stage.

"Stop right there, youkai!!" Sango yelled as she stopped in front of Inuyasha. She reached for something on the inside of her thigh and pulled out a short knife and pointed it at Inuyasha.

"I don't have time to deal with you, wench!!" Inuyasha growled as he took a swipe at her. She managed to dodge barely and he jumped into the air off of the stage. He landed in the midst of the crowd and jumped into the air again.

****

"There you are, onna. Are you ready to come with me this time?" A familiar voice purred into Kagome's ear. Kagome spun around to face a set of blue eyes and fangs and dropped the drink she had just paid for.

"N… nani?!?" Kagome cried as she took a few steps back from him. He pulled the make-shift 'hood' off and flung the sheet to the ground before he grabbed the girl and flung her over his shoulder and took off with incredible speed.

"Drop her now!" A voice yelled from behind. Kouga glanced back and saw the worldly priest right on his heels.

"Heh! You won't be able to keep up that pace, human." Kouga growled as he put on another burst of speed and left Miroku in the dust.

"Miroku-sama!!" Kagome yelled as she stretched her arms out toward the fading priest.

****

"There it is!" The childish voice said as they floated down closer. He watched a wolf demon round the corner with a human girl thrown over his shoulder. "Is she the miko that protects it?" He wondered out loud. The creature under him just growled slightly in agreement.

"Come on, let's go get the Shikon no Tama. Then we will be unstoppable and I'll be able to get my revenge." The boy said as they floated above the wolf. He was fast, but he wasn't too bright, he hadn't even realized he was being followed. Then again, he was using a special technique to hide himself from all eyes. It wouldn't do good for him to give himself away too early, now would it?

****

Kouga stopped and lifted a manhole in the middle of the street. He jumped down into the sewer and landed with a sickening splash.

"Kuso… we're reduced to hiding in the sewers. How pathetic." Kouga growled as he pinched his nose shut. His sense of smell wasn't as good as Inuyasha's, but that place was enough to make him feel nauseous. 

"Let me go, you jerk!" Kagome shrieked as she kicked and screamed at loud as she could.

"Knock it off, onna!" He growled as grabbed her legs to keep her from kicking. "Get used to it, you're my woman!"

"How dare you!" Kagome yelled as she forced him to put her down. She stood in front of him in the goo of the sewer and slapped him as hard as she could. "It's not for you to decide who I'm with!" A look of complete and utter shock was on Kouga's face as he touched his cheek lightly.

"Kouga-kun!!" A voice called from behind as two figure bound toward him. Kouga glanced back at the two wolves running toward him and touched his cheek tentatively.

"I've never been slapped by a woman before. Especially a human." He growled as he grabbed her wrists and forced her up against the wall. Kagome winced as he squeezed her wrists tightly and his face came close to hers. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes tightly.

"Kouga-kun! Didn't you hear us!" One of the wolves called as they got near to him and both bent over breathing heavily.

"Yo Ginta, Hakkai." Kouga said as he released one of her wrists and waved to the two that were dressed like he was. _[A.N. I think they're names are Ginta and Hakkai, correct me if I'm wrong ne?]_.

"Who's the woman? That's a really nice looking dinner you brought back, Kouga-kun." Ginta said as he reached a hand toward Kagome. Kagome pulled back but was unable to free her wrists.

"If you even try to take a bite, I'll beat you to a pulp," Kouga growled at the shorter wolf. Both Ginta and Hakkai took a few steps back when they saw the serious look on his face. "She's my woman so keep your hands and teeth off."

"But… isn't she a human?" Hakkai asked as Kouga turned away and began to drag Kagome with him.

"So what if I'm a human! Let me go, baka!" Kagome yelled as she kicked Kouga in the shin. Kouga growled low in his throat and dug his fist into her stomach instinctively.

"Eh?" Kouga gasped slightly as he realized what he'd done. "Heh, it will make this trip a lot easier." He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of guilt, though. It was just his instinct to strike back when someone struck out at him, even a human woman.

****

Inuyasha lay the unconscious woman on his bed in his dank underground room. He was supposed to take her straight to his master, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He pulled the blankets up over her and finally allowed himself to relax. His red eyes turned back to their normal golden color and the purple marking faded from his skin while his claws retracted back into his normal short claws.

He walked over to the small pool in the corner of the room and plunged his hands into the cool water to splash the water on his face. Now there was only one thing left… He had to take her to his master… He decided he would wait until she woke up. There was no sense taking an unconscious girl to his master. He plunged his hands into the water again and cupped them underneath the water and brought the cool water to his lips to drink.

"I hate this stinking cave…" Inuyasha muttered to himself as he dried his face off on the sleeve of his red haori. Inuyasha stood up and walked over to the bed where the blond was sleeping not so peacefully. She was thrashing about muttering in her sleep. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to hear what she was saying, but he was a dog demon so his hearing was much better.

"Mama… papa…. Shingo… don't leave me…" She whispered as she tossed and turned. "I'm so lonely…" She murmured as she griped at the pillow under her head as if to pull it over her face to hide.

"Lonely?" Inuyasha questioned as he watched the girl sleep. He wasn't sure why he should care if the girl was lonely, but it pulled at something deep inside him… somehow he was able to relate to her… He wouldn't admit it, but he was lonely. Inuyasha growled low in his throat but felt he had to do something. If not, her whimpering was going to drive him nuts. He crawled in next to her and pulled her into his arms. He noticed her cheeks were wet and made to wipe the tear that was sliding down her cheek away, but caught himself before he did. "Keh…" He said as he leaned back against the headboard and held the human girl in his arms. Eventually she stopped whimpering and snuggled closer to him.

"So…. warm…" She mumbled as she snuggled her face into his chest. Inuyasha frowned down at the human woman in his arms but made no move to shove her away. _'Baka… what are you thinking? She's just a weak human…'_ He thought to himself as he looked away from her.

****

Kouga had already come out of the sewer and was headed toward his den underground. He caught the scent of that annoying dog demon, Inuyasha and wrinkled his nose in disgust. _'Why don't they make that stupid dog sleep outside?'_ Kouga silently asked himself as he pushed open the makeshift door of the wolves' den and the three walked into the room. He took the girl and tossed her down on a bed of straw that looked very much like a big bird's nest. She groaned quietly but didn't wake up.

"The first one to try to eat her for dinner, I will beat to death." Kouga warned as he rolled the dark-haired girl over. He reached around her throat and found a necklace with the Shikon no Tama hanging on it. He smirked to himself and clutched the small jewel tightly in his hand. _'With this, I'll be more powerful that our so-called 'master'. I'm a prince, it's within my right as royalty to become the ruler of the youkai.'_ He thought to himself as he slipped the jewel into his pocket to hide it from watchful eyes.

"Don't worry, onna. When you wake up, I'll make you my mate for life. Then you won't ever be able to run away from me," Kouga said confidently as he sat down beside the girl and leaned back against the wall. "Get some sleep everyone." He called as he lay down behind Kagome and pulled her into his arms. He brushed his lips lightly over her collarbone and then pulled them back to show his fangs. He sank them into her skin as gentle as he could to break the skin. She flinched slightly in her sleep as his teeth drew blood but again she didn't wake. He ran his rough tongue over the skin of her collarbone to erase the last trace of blood from the wound. He smirked to himself and then allowed himself to fall asleep with the sleeping girl in his arms.

****

Kagome stirred in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes. Her stomach hurt. She didn't even know what hit her but it felt like she had broken a few ribs. It took a moment before her eyes focused and she found herself lying on a bed of straw that greatly resembled the nest of the bird. Not only that, but she was comfortably warm. She didn't realize why until something behind her shifted slightly and her whole body when rigid. She slowly turned her head and saw the arm that was draped over her… the claws… the brown fur bands at the wrists… That's when she heard it… the sound of breathing all around her. She looked out of the small nested area and saw the sleeping forms of what looked like hundreds of human-like youkai. She assumed they were all wolves because they were dressed in tan furs and all looked similar to the one called 'Kouga' who had kidnapped her. _'Kuso…'_ She thought as she tried to find a way out. The only light in the room was a torch by what Kagome assumed was the doorway. She reached around her neck to make sure the Shikon no Tama was still there but panicked when she found the chain wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" A male voice whispered into her ear. Kagome glanced at Kouga to see both eyes open and he was swinging the chain around that had the jewel on it. Kagome forcefully shoved him away and scooted backward across the nest until she bumped into something soft and fluffy.

"I really don't want to know what that is…" She said quietly to herself as she squinted her eyes shut and gulped. She glanced behind and saw a small cat with two tails. "N… nani?!?" She stammered as she stared at the strange-looking cat. _'Is that a youkai?'_ She silently wondered as she hesitantly reached out her hand to stroke the soft-looking fur. _'It's so cute, though.'_ Just as she was about the touch the cat, it hissed and she drew her hand back.

"Hmm?" Kouga said as his nose caught an unfamiliar scent. "Kitsune?" He questioned as he reached behind him and picked up a small child by his big, fluffy tail.

"Oi! Put me down, you jerk!" The kitsune cried as he thrashed with all his might to break free from the wolf demon.

"What are you doing down here, brat?" Kouga asked calmly as he tossed the child into the air and caught him easily.

"Stop that!" Kagome cried as she reached for the kitsune that Kouga was picking on him. She managed to grab the child and pulled him out of Kouga's hands and hugged him to her chest. "Daijoubu?" She asked as she looked down at the child. He was so small with a fluffy almost golden colored tail and paws like a fox or a dog of some sort and his sandy-colored hair was pulled up into a fluffy ponytail. "Are you always such a jerk, baka!" Kagome yelled at the wolf demon that sat in front of her. He just looked at her with slight shock on his face, but he hid it quickly with a smirk. A few of the wolves had woken up and were slowly walking toward the small group of people.

"Oi, Kouga, what's going on? Keep your onna quiet, we're trying to sleep." One of them complained. The cat with two tails turned toward the approaching wolves and the fur on it's back rose as a low hiss escaped from it's throat.

"Who's the one giving orders around here?" Kouga asked coldly as he looked over at the bigger wolf demon. He didn't answer. "That's what I thought. Go back to sleep." The man scowled down at him but did as he was told. So did all of the other wolves that had been awakened.

"I don't need help from a woman!" The small demon said as he forced Kagome away. "I'm a strong demon! I'm going to use the Shikon no Tama to avenge my family!"

"Are you now?" Kouga asked as he picked up the kid by the tail again.

"Stop that, baka!" Kagome shouted as she grabbed the kid back from him. "Leave him alone! And give that back to me! It burst out of my body so therefore it belongs to me!" She reached out her hand and snatched the jewel back from him while she held onto the struggling child. She stood up and began to walk toward the direction of the door. She stopped as a group of wolves surrounded her, which effectively blocked her exit.

"You have Kouga's mark, you're not allowed to leave." One of the human-like wolf youkai said as he rose to his feet.

"What do you mean I have his mark?" Kagome asked in confusion. He hadn't done anything to her while she was unconscious… had he? The wolf pointed to her collarbone and she brought her hand up to feel for the supposed mark. She winced slightly as her fingers grazed across a tender spot on her skin and she pulled her hand back to see blood staining her fingers. "Eh? Nani?!" Kagome cried as she turned back toward Kouga.

"You've been marked by me," Kouga said calmly as he walked toward her and lifted her off her feet. "You'll be my mate." Kagome felt her face growing warm with embarrassment and anger at the same time. _'He sure is cute, though…'_ She thought inwardly, but then blushed at that thought. He set her back down on the straw bed and pulled the kitsune from her arms.

"Don't!" Kagome cried as she reached for the child. "You're going to hurt him!" She reached for the kitsune but Kouga had already thrown him toward the wolves that surrounded them.

"There's a little snack for you boys." Kouga said carelessly as he turned away and settled himself back down in the nest. Kagome was horrified and ran into the midst of the wolves to save the child. Kouga watched her with interest as she tried to fight off the wolves. Of course they wouldn't touch her because she would be his mate, but he was interested in her actions. She seemed a very reckless woman. She had slapped him across the face, yelled at him, and now she was risking her life for a weak kitsune who had tried to steal the Shikon no Tama. Not only that, she had had the guts to snatch the jewel right out of his hands. She didn't seem to have any fears at all.

Kagome scooped up the kitsune and held him to her chest as she tried to fend off the wolves. They didn't seem interested in her at all, just the child in her arms. She nearly jumped as she felt something soft brush against her leg and looked down to see the two-tailed cat standing there.

"Kirara!" The child said. "Let's get out of here!" He said as he pushed away from Kagome and landed on the ground next to the cat. In a flurry of flames a great cat took the place of the small kitten and Kagome jumped back in surprise.

"Sugoi…" She murmured quietly as she watched the cat fending off the wolves.

"Nani!?" Kouga growled as he saw the cat transform and he was immediately on his feet headed toward them.

"Come on!" The kitsune cried as he reached out a hand to Kagome. Kagome was only too happy to oblige as she climbed on the back of the cat called Kirara. The cat jumped into the air just as Kouga was about to grab Kagome and seemed to float toward the door. "Hurry Kirara! They don't look happy!" The kid urged as the cat burst through the door and headed down the dank corridors. Kagome turned back and saw the wolves following them as fast as they could go.

Kagome leaned forward to put herself as close to Kirara as she could with the kid snuggled safely underneath of her. After what seemed like an hour, Kirara burst from the dark, twisting passages into the light and immediately took to the air. Kagome gripped Kirara's fur tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. Sure she had flown in air planes before, but that was completely different than flying on the back of a youkai that could dump her off at any second.

"So, what's your name?" Kagome asked tentatively as she glanced back at the ground. There was no sign of the wolves, but she had an idea that Kouga would come after her again.

"Shippo…" The kitsune said solemnly.

****

::Fin::

December 5, 2003

****

Houshi-sama = priest (Sango called Miroku this all through the series)  
**taijin** = Youkai Exterminator (Sango) (I think this was the word^^; *forgets* correct me if I'm wrong ne?)  
**haori** = that red shirt Inuyasha wears (I don't know the exact translation, it was used in Lynns story "Winter Wonderland" and others so I decided to use it. EXCELLENT story btw)

Hehe^^; I know both Kagome and Usagi fell asleep in their "love interests" arms so sorry for the repetition. I really hate when it's the exact same story with two different characters/couples but that's just how it worked out^^; This has been the longest chapter yet, it's like 10 or 11 pages *goes to count* 11 pages^^ Aren't you proud? Either way, this story is getting really long and I've only just started it^^ I hope you all like long chapters cuz they're all going to be long^^ I still have so much that needs to happen it's not even funny. I have vague ideas of stuff that's going to happen, but I keep going deeper and deeper into them and keep adding more and more. This chapter focuses a lot on the Kouga/Kagome situation^^ I really like Kouga, he's a really sweet guy once he stops being such a murderous asshole^^; Anyway, I had the idea of the marks as a mating symbol a LONG time ago when I had only seen a few episodes but it seems someone beat me to the punch^^; *points to Lynns fic "Winter Wonderland" above and others she's written* So I didn't steal the idea from you^^; I just didn't write an Inuyasha ficcy until I knew a lot about the series, that's all^^ Well, please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net I love to hear from you^^ Let me know whatcha think. You're all slacking though, I only got 3 reviews for the last chapter *sniffles* I may go back to the rule that I don't update until I get 10 reviews, I'll keep writing it of course, but I may not post it ~.^ That'll only happen if I don't get many reviews though^^ Until next time.


	7. Chapter 6 Look Alike

****

Uragirimono

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

****

themoonmaiden: Hehe, I agree, Inuyasha is really Bishie^^ I've actually been changing the back story from what actually happened in the series^^; I haven't decided if she'd have the Ginzuishou or not^^; It would definitely beat the Shikon no Tama though…Hmm… I may go into the back story of how the jewel was created and what it is, but it means "Jewel of the Four Souls". Gomen you don't like the blood and gore of the series^^; It's really good once you get past that (I've seen more gory anime than this though^^;).  
**Himeno Midori**: Gomen for the slow updates^^; I haven't had much time for writing lately (sadly), but hey, this was a quick update ~.^  
**liza**: Well, here's your update then~.^  
**Sailor Ronin Usa-chan**: *eats cookie* Yummy, chocolate chip! I figured you'd be the first to review since you were my pre-reader for this chapter^^ You did get to read all of this chapter before anyone else so be happy ~.^ I'll share mine if you share yours ~.^ Hope you like this chappie, but I'm sure you will~.^  
**Anime Gurl16**: *grins* I meant for it to be a Usa/Inuyasha pairing~.^ He's so Bishie *beams*  
**midlight bunny**: *grins* I'm glad you like the story, it took me a while to develop it in my head^^ I'm just glad to see other people like it too ~.^ 

Thoughts are _'italicized_'  
Dream Sequences are _'italicized_'(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

****

Chapter 6 - Look Alike

"Kuso!" Sango cursed to herself as Inuyasha got away with Usagi. She fell to her knees and slammed her fist into the stage. There was no way she would be able to catch up to her kidnapped friend. At least not on foot… Medics had rushed out on stage after everyone realized that it hadn't been a publicity stunt and rushed to Sango's side. One of the bouncers approached the dark-haired girl and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You can come with us now. You're in a lot of trouble if you don't tell us where your costumed friend is." The bouncer said as he lifted Sango to her feet.

"I don't have time for this. That bastard kidnapped my friend." Sango said calmly as she rammed her elbow into the large man's face and ran to the edge of the stage. She jumped from the stage and began to force her way through the crowd. She could hear cursing behind her as other bouncers tore off through the crowd. The crowd was becoming agitated and people were starting to panic.

"What if that guy comes back and grabs one of us?"

"Is Seiya going to be ok?"

"What happens if he has friends that are going to steal us away too!"

Sango ignored their voices as she searched for the perverted priest in the panicked crowd. She spotted a dark ponytail up ahead that stood above the heads of most of the girls and picked up her pace. She burst through the crowd and grabbed onto that person's arm.

"Houshi-sama!! He took Usagi-chan!" Sango cried as Miroku turned to face her. His teeth were gritted in anger as he turned to face her and Sango knew what else had happened.

"Nani?! They took Kagome-chan too?!" Sango cried in shock and disbelief. She assumed they would have just taken the jewel and left Kagome alone… well, they probably would have killed her, but to kidnap her… It didn't fit for some reason.

"Come on, let's go get Kaede. She might be able to help us. She has really good senses, she might be able to tell us a direction to look." Miroku said as he took her wrist and the pair took off down the stairs to exit the stadium.

****

"Ne, Shippo-chan. Are you hungry?" Kagome asked as the three walked silently through the park toward Kagome's home.

"I have no interest in staying with a human," Shippo said as he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. "The only reason you brought us with you is because you saved me from the wolves." Kagome smiled at the determined aura that seemed to surround the small fox child. He seemed to act much too grown up for his size. There was probably a reason behind that, but Kagome didn't want to pry.

"All right then. I'll just go home and make a big meal and the two of you can sleep outside in the cold on the ground instead of a nice, warm futon." Kagome said as she began to walk away from them. Shippo glanced after her for a moment and then began to follow. Kagome smiled to herself as she sensed the two were following her.

"All right, you've convinced me. Kirara and I could use a real meal." Shippo said as he walked next to Kagome with the same proud attitude.

"I'll carry you, if you want, you must be very tired from fighting off those wolves." Kagome said with a small smile. Shippo glanced up at her but nodded slightly and waited for her to pick him up. She scooped him up and held him against her chest.

"Thank you, human girl." Shippo said as he lounged back in her arms as if he had managed to bend her to his every whim. Kagome chuckled quietly to herself as she continued her trek across the park toward her house. She heard a quiet purr that was almost a growl from Kirara and the youkai nuzzled against her leg. The cat turned sideways and leaned down slightly in a gesture for Kagome to climb on.

"Arigato, Kirara-chan." Kagome smiled as she scratched behind the big kitten's ears, which earned a contented purr as they walked slowly through the park.

"Shippo-chan." Kagome started to get the small fox demon's attention.

"Nande?" He questioned as he peeked open one eye lazily.

"Why are so many youkai after the jewel?" Kagome asked earnestly as she looked up at the few stars that were peeking through the leaves of the trees.

"It's yours and you don't even know?" Shippo asked in almost outrage.

"Kaede told me about the miko that took it within herself and was corrupted, but she didn't really tell me what it was or why youkai were after it." Kagome said half to herself.

"Baka, everyone knows that," Shippo said in an exasperated fashion. "Youkai want it because it increases their power by hundreds of times. They say one small shard will double the power of a youkai."

"Oh…" Kagome said as she looked down at the jewel that hung around her neck. _'I wonder what happened to that miko… was she really consumed by this?'_ Kagome silently mused to herself as light reflected off the smooth surface of the jewel in her hand. _'Will I suffer the same fate as she did?'_ Kagome asked as her thoughts remained on the small gem in her hand. There was no way something so small could possess so much power.

****

Usagi groaned quietly and opened her eyes slowly. Her stomach hurt really badly. She didn't really remember what had happened the previous day but was surprised to find how warm she was. There was a pleasant scent close to her and she could feel someone's chest rising and falling. _'Nani?! Someone's chest?!'_ She thought as she pulled away from a pair of strong arms and scooted across the bed. She miscalculated the size of the bed due to the fact her head was spinning and fell to the ground with a painful crash.

"Itai…" She whined as she sat up slowly. She glanced up and saw a pair of golden eyes following her every move. He didn't say a word… he just sat there and stared at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?!" Usagi demanded as she struggled to stand up. Her legs wobbled slightly but decided they were going to hold her weight for now.

"Keh…" He said quietly as he looked away from the blond girl. He jumped off the bed and walked toward the door.

"Oi! Where are you going?!" Usagi demanded as she made to follow him. He stopped before he exited the room and shoved her roughly. She stumbled backward and landed on the bed in the middle of the room. Inuyasha was one of the few demons to actually have a bed in his chambers. It was because he was one of the favorites of their master. Most of the youkai slept on piles of leaves or grass that they brought in themselves. It was a constant fight over a place to stay to some of them. He didn't care though; he wasn't going to stay in that underground 'city' for much longer. "Aren't you going to say anything?!" She demanded angrily as she sat on the bed.

"Stay here, human," He muttered as he pushed open the 'door' of his small den. He let it close absentmindedly behind him. "Don't let that human leave." Inuyasha instructed a serpent youkai that stood watch outside of his door. The serpent hissed in response but did as he was told.

Usagi frowned to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. She winced slightly as her arm pushed slightly against her stomach and uncrossed her arms. _'What a jerk!'_ She thought as a frown spread across her face. _'I healed him and this is how he treats me? I just wish I could heal myself… I'm going to have a huge bruise.'_ She thought as she touched her stomach gingerly.

"Mou! He didn't have to be so rough." She whined as she lay back on his bed. His scent lingered on the blanket and Usagi could help but breathe in deeply. _'As much of a jerk as he is, he sure does smell good.'_ She though absentmindedly. "Eh? What am I thinking?! He just kidnapped me!" She scooted to the end of the bed and stood up on unsteady legs. She would leave before he returned. She walked quietly to the door and pushed it open slightly so she could stick her head out and look around. "Where's the exit?" She whined to herself as she saw four different corridors carved right into the stone walls.

"Yousss aren't goingsss anywheresss, human." A serpent-like creature hissed out as it approached Usagi. Her eyes widened in shock and she couldn't help but cry out in surprise. She pulled her head back in the door and slammed it behind her and pressed her back against the door to prevent the youkai's entry. She was surprised when it didn't try to enter and raised a hand to her chest to try and slow her racing heart.

__

'How am I going to get out of this one?' Usagi silently wondered. _'Sango and Miroku will come after me for sure… demo, what do they want with me anyway?'_ She was perplexed as to why they had been after her. She didn't even have the Shikon no Tama, that was in Kagome's care, not hers.

She went back over to the bed and let herself fall back onto the soft blankets. She stared up at the ceiling with unblinking eyes. The only reason she could assume is because of her powers. But how would that help a group of youkai? They were stronger than human so it's not like they would need her to heal their wounded. Hell, they probably didn't even care about the wounded. If they weren't going to heal, they were probably eaten. At least, that's the way Usagi figured from the actions of the youkai she had met up to this point. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Usagi wasn't sure how much time had passed as she drifted in and out of sleep. She was bored out of her mind so the only thing she could do was trying to ignore her boredom by sleeping. It might have only been about an hour, but to Usagi, it felt like an eternity. She was pulled back to her senses as she heard a soft thud. She looked up to see Inuyasha in the doorway holding a small bag.

"Eat it." He ordered rudely as he set it on the bed beside her. Her eyes widened slightly as he sat down beside her and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes were trained on her every move as she opened the bag and lifted out a roll that she munched on slowly. She didn't like that he was watching her eat; it made her feel slightly embarrassed.

"Why do you keep staring at me!" She demanded as she set down her chopsticks on the bed. He didn't seem fazed at all by her outburst and merely turned his head to the sigh with a small 'keh'. "You've been staring at me since I woke up! Why?"

"You're not a very grateful person." He grumbled to himself without looking at her. She looked down at the food he brought and blushed slightly.

"Ah, gomen nasai," She said with a blush. "Doomo arigato." She said with a smile. He acted all tough on the outside, but it seemed he wanted her to say thank you. He didn't strike her at the type that would care if she thanked him or not. Especially after he kidnapped her. _'What a weird guy…'_ She thought as she picked up her chop sticks and turned back to the food he had brought. It didn't taste the best, but Usagi was starving so she was finished in a matter of minutes. She set the chipped bowl down and bowed slightly before the red-clad dog demon.

"Will you at least tell you why you kidnapped me?" Usagi questioned as she picked up the dishes and moved to the corner of the room to the slow moving pool to rinse off the dishes.

"Why should I tell you, human?" Inuyasha asked arrogantly as he peeked open one eye in her direction. Usagi sighed and set the dishes on the floor next to the pool.

"You did kidnap me, but you haven't done anything to me. Am I just some sort of experiment or something?" She asked him as she sat on the edge of the bed. He glanced over at her curious expression and backed away from her slowly. The look in her eyes was too innocent… there was no fear there, but he could see how naïve she truly was.

"Baka, I don't know why I kidnapped you. I was just following orders." Inuyasha said as he turned away with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't like the way she was staring at him. It was like she could see right into his soul and it creeped him out.

"Oh…" Was all she said for a few minutes. He chanced a glance over at her and saw a thoughtful look on her face. "If that's the case, why have you brought me here?" Inuyasha didn't answer right away. Usagi could tell she had caught him off-guard, but it just didn't make sense to her.

"Well, I wanted to wait until you woke up, wench." He muttered huffily as he looked away from her again. Usagi didn't say anything, but studied him closely. Inuyasha glanced over when the girl didn't say anything and frowned at her. "You got a problem with me or something?" He demanded as he punctuated his statement with a growl in the back of his throat.

"Baka, I have a name you know! So don't call me wench, my name is Tsukino Usagi! And you confuse me," Usagi said in an annoyed tone as she tried to reason her way through her dilemma. "If you were following orders, doesn't that mean you're supposed to bring me before your boss or something?" Then she realized what he'd called her and her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. Inuyasha frowned slightly at her words. _'Why haven't I taken her to master-sama?'_ He inwardly questioned himself with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyebrows furrowed. _'Stupid wench…'_ He thought to himself as he scowled down at nothing in particular.

"Inuyasha-sama," A raspy voice said, which broke him out of his thoughts. He glanced up to see a young girl dressed in all white and a mirror in between her hands. "Master-sama would like to see you. Master-sama is most displeased with you." Inuyasha hissed through his teeth as he stared at the child. He didn't quite know what she was but she had no youki. She was closer to a human than any of the others, but she was still able to steal souls from living bodies using that mirror of hers.

****

"Kaede-sama!" Miroku yelled as he rang the doorbell of the house on the shrine grounds. "Kaede-sama, wake up!" A light went on inside and the pair could hear the floor creaking under the older woman's feet. The door opened and the elderly miko stood in the doorway.

"Miroku, what are you doing here at this hour?" Kaede asked with a slight frown on her face.

"We're sorry to wake you, Kaede-sama," Sango started as she stood next to the casually dressed priest in her concert clothes. "We need your help, though."

"Where is Kagome-sama and Usagi?" Kaede asked as she tried to peer behind the two taller people.

"They were kidnapped, Kaede-sama." Miroku said as he bowed his head in shame.

"We were wondering if you would help us look. Neither of our senses are as keen as yours." Sango said as she looked at the woman with pleading eyes.

"This is not a journey for an old woman like myself to take," Kaede said seriously. Sango's face fell and Miroku squeezed his fist into a tight ball. "But I might be able to help you, none-the-less." She stated calmly. She went back into her house and came back a few minutes later with a small mirror about the size of a makeup compact. "This mirror reacts to the Shikon no Tama. It was how I found you that first day. It will not tell you exactly where it is, but it will lead you in the right direction."

"Arigato, Kaede-sama," Miroku said as he bowed and accepted the mirror. He slipped it into his pocket and grabbed Sango's arm. "We have to make a stop at Kagome-sama's house to pick up our weapons."

"Hai, Houshi-sama." Sango replied as she tried to match his speed. She silently cursed herself for her footwear and stopped briefly to pull them off. Even if the rocks hurt her feet, it was better than breaking her ankle when she fell.

****

Kagome flopped down facedown on the couch. She decided that Sango, Miroku, and Usagi would eventually turn up and so should just wait inside the barrier around the shrine. She had peeled off one of the wards briefly so Shippo and Kirara could pass through the barrier and then put it back in place afterward. There was no way those two could be evil in any way. They seemed to be going against the plan of the other youkai so she assumed it was all right to let them through. Also, by the looks of it, Shippo didn't have anyone to take care of him. She had made him some instant ramen and had given Kirara some fish from the fridge and Shippo had fallen asleep on the table as soon as he had finished. The fox demon was lying on the couch beside her with the small throw they kept on the couch and Kagome couldn't help but smile. He looked so cute and innocent sleeping.

"You're back already neechan?" A sleepy voice said as a little boy came into the room. Kagome glanced over and saw her little brother Souta in his pajamas.

"You're supposed to be in bed, Souta." Kagome said as she crossed her arms over her chest. He walked into the room and plopped down on the couch next to her.

"I couldn't sleep. Where's Usagi?" Souta asked as he looked at his sister. Kagome shrugged her shoulders and glanced over at the sleeping youkai on the couch next to her and that cat that was curled up in her lap.

"I'm not sure. We were separated in the crowd," Kagome said as she looked away from Souta. "I'm sure they'll know to just come home, though. We talked about it earlier, if we were separated, we would just meet back up at our house."

"Oh… it's kind of late, though. Maybe we should go look for them." Souta said as he looked over at his older sister. Then he glanced down in her lap and his eyes widened in surprise. "Neechan, I don't think Buyo would like another cat in the house. And you haven't asked mom either!"

"Eh?" Kagome said as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead. Souta hadn't noticed the second tail that was curled around the cat. "Oh don't worry about it, Souta. I'm sure Buyo will love Kirara, she's a really sweet neko-chan." Kagome said as she pet the purring youkai in her lap.

"We have to hurry." A muffled voice said as the front door opened. Kagome recognized the voice as Miroku's and stood up to meet them in the front hallway.

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome said as she ran to the priest.

"Eh? Kagome-chan?" Sango questioned as if she didn't believe Kagome was really standing in front of her. "How… How did you get here? That youkai is here isn't he?" She asked, instantly on guard.

"Iie, iie," Kagome said as she waved her hands in front of her face. "I managed to get away with the help of some new friends." Kagome said as they walked back into the living room. Souta was sitting on the floor with a look of sheer horror on his face at the creature that was sleeping on the couch silently. Miroku and Sango's eyes turned immediately toward the ball of fur on the couch.

"Nani!? Youkai?!" Miroku nearly yelled as he took a few steps toward the small youkai on the couch.

"Matte! That's Shippo-chan, he helped me escape!" Kagome said as she stood in front of him.

"What's all the noise?" A sleepy voice asked from the direction of the couch. Shippo sat up and glanced at the three new people in the room. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here? Servant, get rid of these irritations."

"Servant?" Sango asked with one eyebrow raised. "Kagome-chan, what have you been telling him? Kitsune are known to be tricksters so you can't be too careful around them."

"I'm sorry Sango-chan. He helped me so I wanted to help him. And besides, he's too young to be all alone." Kagome said as she glanced at the young kitsune. She didn't know why he was all alone with only Kirara but it made her want to take care of him.

"He's a youkai, he can't be trusted, he has to go!" Miroku said sternly as he took a step closer to the young kitsune.

"It's humans that can't be trusted!" Shippo said as he jumped off the couch and stood to his full height. Kirara stood next to him with her fur standing on edge and was growling low in her throat.

"Kagome, what's going on?!" Souta demanded as he stood shakily off to one side. That small kid on the floor had a big fluffy tail and it looked like he had paws or something. The cat also had two tails and strange markings on her face. "What are they talking about? Youkai?" Souta asked in confusion and slight fear. He had heard about demons in old legends but to have an actual demon in his house was almost more than he could take.

"He's a kitsune, Kagome-sama. He must be taken outside of the barrier! He can't stay here, he's working with the enemy!" Miroku said sternly as he tried to walk around Kagome. Kagome moved and stood in front of him to prevent him from getting any closer to the small child.

"I won't let you hurt him! He helped me so the least I can do is return the favor!" Kagome said determinedly. She wasn't going to let him throw Shippo out until she had heard the kit's story.

"I have no intention on tricking this human girl." Shippo said as he turned his face away and crossed his arms over his chest. He was still trying to act strong and confident. Kagome saw right through that and walked toward him. She scooped him up in her arms and held him against her chest.

"See, he has no intention of hurting us." Kagome said calmly as she held the kit in her arms. Shippo looked up at her and smiled slightly. He could learn to like this girl. No one had stood up for him since he'd lost his father. "Besides, I don't think he has anywhere to go, do you?" Shippo's face fell slightly and he shook his head.

"The Thunder Brothers killed my father…" He said slowly as his eyes fell to the ground. Sango's eyes widened in slight surprise. This small youkai was not only an orphan, but he seemed to feel some amount of sorrow or remorse.

"Let's let him stay, Houshi-sama." Sango said as she took a step closer and knelt down by Kirara. Kirara stopped hissing and growling instantly as Sango extended her hand toward the neko. Sango scooped the small youkai up in her arms and began to rub her soft belly. A loud, contently purr issued from the cat as she lay comfortable in Sango's arms. Miroku looked skeptical but decided that he would have to keep a close eye on the kit.

"Will somebody tell me what's going on!?" Souta demanded angrily as everyone around him seemed to know what was going on, but he had no clue. "And where's Usagi-chan?"

"Chan?" Kagome questioned as she smirked in her little brother's direction. Souta's face immediately began to turn red at her look. "Since when have you called her Usagi-chan?"

"Well… I… uhh…" Souta's face was an unreal shade of red as he stammered to find an answer. "It's none of your business!" Souta finished lamely as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. Kagome only smiled at the younger boy. She had known about his little crush but she couldn't help but tease him about it.

"Where is Usagi-chan?" She asked as she turned back to her protectors and friends. She didn't get an answer immediately and neither could seem to look her in the eye. "Did something happen? Is she all right?"

"Gomen, Kagome-chan. Inuyasha took her right off the stage." Sango said as her eyes narrowed in anger; anger at Inuyasha for kidnapping and hurting her new friend, and angry at herself for not being able to protect Usagi from him.

"Usagi-chan was kidnapped?!?" Souta cried as he fell over backward into a dead faint.

****

"What are you doing here, Kanna?" Inuyasha growled low in the back of his throat. He was tired of his master sending all of his 'underlings' to spy on him. First it was Kouga and now one of those worthless 'detachments'. They weren't even true youkai, especially this little brat.

"Master-sama said to bring the healing girl immediately. Master-sama is most displeased that you did not bring her last night." Kanna said in her low, slightly raspy voice. Inuyasha growled low in his throat but reluctantly grabbed Usagi roughly be the wrist.

"Come on, wench." He growled as he began to drag her toward the door. Usagi pulled against his hand and managed to pull free.

"I have a name! Stop calling me wench!" Usagi nearly yelled. Inuyasha came face-to-face with her, his golden eyes narrowed on her cerulean blue ones. Usagi didn't waiver in the slightest under his gaze.

"Come on now or I'll have to hurt you." He growled quickly as reached to grab her again.

"Osuwari!" She shouted in anger. The beads around his neck began to glow pink and he crashed violently to the ground. Inuyasha growled low in his throat from his place on the ground. He was getting mighty sick of this stupid necklace that he couldn't seem to take off. He sat up and resumed his earlier attempts at pulling the beads off over his head.

The girl named Kanna said nothing but she turned her mirror so she had a hand on either side of it instead of one on the top and one on the bottom. Usagi looked over at the girl and immediately began to feel lightheaded.

"N… nani?" She questioned slightly as she fell to her knees. There was some white-ish smoke or steam that was being pulled from her body and sucked into the mirror. In a matter of minutes, Usagi was completely unable to move.

"Master-sama awaits you, Inuyasha-sama." Kanna said as she turned and began to head down one of the long hallways. Inuyasha growled low in his throat and picked up the catatonic, nearly soulless human and threw her over his shoulder.

Inuyasha and Kanna walked down the dark, slimy corridors that were lit with only a few torches here and there and the white glow that always seemed to follow the young girl. The mirror in her hands was glowing brightly and it looked as if there was some murky, cloudy smoke that was on the surface of the mirror. They passed many doorways and Inuyasha nearly had to hold his nose to block out some of the awful smells they passed. Inuyasha sometimes wished he didn't have such a sensitive sense of smell because some of the youkai didn't exactly have the same hygiene practices as him.

"I see you finally accomplished your mission." A deep voice said to the side. Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he caught the familiar scent and voice. Sesshoumaru stepped out into the open followed by a small green youkai called Jyaken.

"It's none of your business, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled. He was in a really bad mood today for some reason that he couldn't quite place his finger on. "I don't see you even trying to complete yours. Do you even know where the Shikon no Tama is?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes slightly and a small smile spread across his face. Jyaken shrunk back in terror… it was much more scary to see a smile on Sesshoumaru's face than when he became angry.

"I can get the Shikon no Tama any times. Master wanted the healer brought first." Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. He had already made his decision. He was going to break away from their supposed 'Master'. He wasn't one to be controlled by any other person or youkai. He had only played along long enough to find out about the Shikon no Tama and its powers.

"We must hurry, Inuyasha-sama," Kanna said quietly without turning to face him. "Master-sama will become angry if we do not arrive soon."

"Keh!" He said as he turned away from the older, silver-haired dog demon. He adjusted the girl on his shoulder so he had a better hold on her and followed the white-haired child. They continued on down the corridor and stopped in front of a huge door that stood at least three stories high. As they approached the door, it slowly swung inward on its hinges. The chamber beyond was absolutely huge with vertical, pillar-like supports supporting the weight of the heavy stone ceiling. There was a wide bridge-like walkway that ran to an elevated throne-like chair at the very end of the room. On either side of the 'bridge' there were deep pits filled with the weaker youkai that were sometimes used to feed the strong depending on the availability of food at the time. Some of them rose out of the pits at Inuyasha's arrival but were sent falling back into their prison at the glare they received from Inuyasha.

He had been here before so he just looked around the room unimpressed. Not that anything impressed him in the first place. Not even the bravery of the human girl over his shoulder had impressed him. He wasn't sure if he would call it bravery. It was more along the lines of stupidity. Did she really think that he was incapable of killing her?

"Bring the girl forward." The deep voice seemed to fill the entire cavern as it echoed through the empty space.

"Hai hai…" Inuyasha mumbled as he brought the nearly soulless girl to the back wall of the cave. He approached a set of chairs that would resemble a 'throne' in a palace except that they weren't decorated in any elaborate way. They were carved out of the very stone of the cave so they were unmovable and had black cushions on the seat, back, and arm rests. Behind the two chairs there was a large canopy bed with the curtains drawn closed. The voice was coming from the figure sitting in the chair on the right hand side.

"Why was she not brought to me immediately?" The figure asked as a pair of red eyes glowed in the silhouette.

"She was unconscious at the time," Inuyasha said with his eyes narrowed at the figure. "Why am I talking to you anyway? You have no control over me, kisama." Inuyasha muttered as he glared darkly at the figure in the chair.

"Oh? Master-sama is indisposed, so I am in charge," The person rose from the seat and took several steps forward toward Inuyasha. "Kanna, return this girl's soul so we might have a little chat."

"Hai, master-sama." Kanna said as she turned toward the soulless girl. She turned the mirror again so her hands were on either side of the mirror. The cloud-like soul that was spilling out the front of the mirror shot out of the mirror and struck Usagi. Her body was lifted up out of Inuyasha's arms as her soul returned to her body. Usagi's eyes opened slowly as she floated in mid-air.

"Nani? What happened?" She wondered aloud as she sat up slowly. In doing so, the last wisps of her soul disappeared and she fell roughly to the ground. She landed hard and groaned in protest. "Itai…" She whined as she stood up and rubbed her behind in annoyance and pain.

"Come forth, human." A cold voice broke into her whining. Usagi looked up toward the voice and saw a silhouette with long black hair and glowing red eyes.

"Eh? Who are you?" Usagi demanded as she recoiled slightly. _'What a creepy looking person…'_ Usagi thought as she took a step backward. The figure walked slowly down the stairs toward her and she took a few more steps back.

"Hold her still." The advancing body ordered to someone Usagi couldn't see. She gasped as two floating youkai with long tails that seemed to glow white wrapped around her arms and began to drag her forward.

"Let me go!" Usagi shouted as she tugged against the strange youkai. She was brought face-to-face with the shadowed person and gasped slightly as her eyes fell on the face.

****

"How are we going to find Usagi-chan?" Sango asked as the group sat in the living room with cups of tea. Shippo was sitting on the couch next to Kagome with Kirara lying behind him in wait. Sango sat on the opposite side of Kagome and was staring down into her cup of tea with no expression on her face. Miroku, on the other hand, sat across the room in an arm chair while he kept casting suspicious looks at Shippo and Kirara. Then there was Souta, still unconscious but up in his bed now thanks to Miroku.

"We don't even know where to begin looking." Sighed Sango as she took a small sip from her tea.

"Usagi-sama shouldn't be too hard to find," Miroku mused to himself as he stared at the floor. "She has a pure energy that it will be easy to find her among all of the jyaki."

"There is still the problem of trying to get her out of their stronghold, though," Sango said thoughtfully. "They are dound to have thousands of youkai in there. The sheer numbers would be enough to beat us."

"Not necessarily." Miroku said slowly as he looked down at his right hand. The beads were wrapped tightly around his hand to seal his kazaana.

"Houshi-sama, that will have to be a last resort. What happens if Usagi-chan is among the demons you try to suck in? She could be pulled in as well." Sango objected as she looked up at the perverted priest.

"No matter how you look at it, it's going to be nearly impossible to save her." Miroku said angrily as he frowned deeply. He didn't like the idea of leaving that girl in their filthy hands.

"It doesn't matter. We at least have to try. She would do the same for us even if it killed her," Kagome said determinedly. "She's my best friend, I won't leave her with those monsters." Sango and Miroku both looked up at the teenaged girl in surprise. She had just seemed to grow before their eyes. There was strength behind her that they hadn't seen before. Miroku couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling radiating from her, but it was a very strong spiritual power. That's when it hit him.

"You're a miko!" Miroku cried out as he stood up suddenly. Kagome raised and eyebrow at this and remained in her place on the couch.

"How can I be a miko, I've never been trained," Kagome said as a sweatdrop appeared on the back of her head. "Grandpa has been trying to get me to learn for years, but I'm just not interested in it."

"It doesn't matter, Kagome-sama," Miroku said as he kneeled in front of her and took both of her hands. "I've been trying to find out what this feeling I keep getting from you is, and I just realized it's your spiritual power. You have to be one of the strongest I've ever encountered."

"Eh? Me?!" She questioned as her eyes widened in surprise. A sweatdrop appeared on her forehead as she realized Miroku's hand had made a dramatic shift to her thighs. Shippo, Kirara, and Sango all winced at the loud slap that resounded through the room a moment later. "Hentai…" Kagome mumbled as Miroku slumped forward on the other side of the room with his hand over his stinging cheek.

"Do you think you could shoot a bow, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked as she stood up. "That would probably be the easiest weapon for you to try."

"Eh? But I've never shot a bow in my life," She said with a sweatdrop and a nervous expression. "I don't even think we have one anywhere around here."

"We'll have to ask you grandfather in the morning, Kagome-sama," Miroku said. "But for now, we should head to bed." Kagome and Sango nodded in approval as they all stood to go to their rooms.

"Shippo-chan, you and Kirara can sleep in my room if you'd like." Kagome said as she picked up the sleeping kit. Kirara was curled up on the couch beside her as she ran a hand over the soft fur of the cat's head and ears. Shippo mumbled incoherently in his sleep and rolled over so he could be closer to the source of heat, which happened to be Kagome. She giggled lightly and began to head toward her room. Kirara stood up and followed her up the stairs with Sango right behind.

****

Usagi was pulling with all of her might against the strange white youkai. There were more of the strange bug-like youkai flying around the room, some were carrying glowing balls of cloud that looked strangely like when Kanna had used her mirror earlier. The creatures pulled her face-to-face with the strange figure with glowing red eyes and Usagi couldn't help but gasp.

As evil as the aura was that surrounded him, she couldn't help but admit that he was attractive. He had long black hair that had a little bit of a wave to it and his eyes seemed dark up close, not the blood red as she had seen from farther away. Just looking into these dark eyes made Usagi's skin crawl. They didn't seem to be any end to them, and they were devoid of any emotion. She could sense a huge evil energy that surrounded this man and a chill went through her body. He was no human despite his appearance.

"You are a perfect likeness of 'her'," He said quietly as he grabbed her face and twisted it to one side, then to the other. "Your power is nothing compared to hers, though."

"Bring her forth…" A weak voice said from behind the chairs and inside of the curtains of the bed.

"Hai, Master-sama." The man said as he motioned for the youkai holding her to bring her closer. Usagi was brought up to the edge of the bed and forced to her knees by the youkai holding her arms. The curtain opened slowly and a faint blue light filled the interior as Usagi's eyes fell on a weak looking woman lying on the bed limply. She didn't seem able to move as she lay fixed to her spot on the bed, not even looking in Usagi's direction. The white youkai kept swirling around and dropping the glowing blue clouds into her body, which seemed to absorb them. _'Souls?'_ Usagi thought to herself as she tried to remember the description Kagome's grandfather had given them of a soul.

The woman slowly turned toward her and Usagi gasped audibly as she looked at the woman… she looked like Kagome…

****

::Fin::

December 7, 2003

To those of you that don't know, Kanna is one of Naraku's detachments and is able to trap the souls of people inside of her mirror. Don't worry, Kagura will make an appearance later in this story as will some of the other characters I left out. This is kinda tough, I have like 3 different story-lines happening at once^^; Gomen if it was confusing to anyone. Anyway, the times don't really match up because Usagi has just woken up when everyone else is going to bed. It's kind of like how J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the Two Towers. You're with one of the groups for half the book, and then it starts where "The Fellowship" left off with the other group up until the same point. You understand what I mean? Sorry if it's confusing^^; I was trying to make it easy to follow, but I might have confused some people, gomen *bows apologetically* Anyway, please review or email me to tell me what you think k? My email is pokahydee@mysticallegends.net I hope you enjoyed ~.^ And look at how fast between updates too *beams* And long chapters at that *bounces* I'm up to 61 pages already and I just finished chapter 6.


	8. Chapter 7 Sweet Embrace

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Uragirimono

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

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Sailor Ronin Usa-chan: You're the first to review again^^ *eats cookie* Yummy cookie!! *blushes* I've been trying to improve as a writer, I'm glad you think I have. But you're one to talk, yours have improved DRAMATICALLY as well ~.^ Not sure what they're gonna do with Usagi yet^^ You'll just have to wait for it *grins* Though you'll prolly read this before anyone else does anyway^^ I'm glad you think I've been keeping them in character, one of the things that annoys me most about some stories is OOCness, you know what I mean?  
**Himeno Midori**: Hehe, that's fine. I need to start updating more often anyway *shrugs* Time restraints and writers block are the cause when I don't update^^; Anyway, Kanna is actually a character from Inuyasha. She's one of Naraku's detachments/offspring. She looks like a little girl dressed all in white with white hair and a white flower in her hair. She's actually kind of cute^^ But she uses the mirror to steal souls of humans and she doesn't show any emotions.  
**Anime Gurl16**: Daijoubu? *helps up* You should be careful about that when you're dancing ~.^ *hands you Band-Aid*

Aww, only 3 reviews for this chapter *pouts* Come on people, you can do better than that! I've been updating like mad lately! You should be reviewing like mad too!!

Special thanks to Sailor Ronin Usa-chan! She's been awesome^^ We've been sharing chapters and helping each other along the way. This would have taken a lot longer to write if Usa-chan hadn't kicked my butt in gear ~.^ Arigato imouto-chan!! *glomps and gives a cookie*

Thoughts are '_italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are '_italicized' _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

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Chapter 7 - Sweet Embrace

"K… Kagome?" Usagi questioned as her eyes fell on the woman's pale face. She looked so much like her it wasn't even funny. The only difference was that the woman before Usagi looked pale and slightly older than Kagome.

"So you have met my reincarnation, huh?" The woman said as she stared back at Usagi with no emotion whatsoever on her face. Usagi shuddered under the look the woman gave her. She felt a really bad vibe emanating from this woman… one of pure hatred.

"Reincarnation?" Usagi questioned as the youkai that had been holding her arms released her and flew toward the woman. The woman reached out one hand and one of them stopped above her hand and she started to pet the white youkai.

"Hai, I was once the keeper of the Shikon no Tama," She said slowly as her eyes turned back to Usagi. "My name is Kikyo."

"Kikyo?" Usagi questioned as she looked at the woman. From the little bit of light that filtered in through the open curtains of the bed, Usagi was able to see that the woman was dressed as a miko, a shrine priestess. Usagi got up her courage and stood up facing the dark-haired woman. Naraku took one step closer to his master in order to protect her from whatever the human girl was about to do. "What are you planning to do? Why was I brought here!?" Kikyo laughed quietly to herself before her eyes narrowed evilly on Usagi.

"You are the reason I am the way I am now," Kikyo said coldly as she glared at the blond. "A dead soul inside of a fake body, who has to live off the souls of the dead to stay alive."

"Then those youkai?" Usagi questioned as she motioned to the white youkai that were gliding around the room gracefully.

"Shinidamachuu," She said slowly as she put up her hand for another to land like someone would reach a hand up for a bird to take perch. "They bring the souls of dead women to me to preserve my life."

"You live off the souls of others? That's awful! How could you do something so horrid!?" Usagi cried out as she brought her hands to either side of her face and shook her head slightly. Kikyo smirked slightly at the blonde's reaction.

"I see that even in a reincarnation, her personality was retained." Kikyo said slowly as she tried to stand. She wavered on her feet, but the Shinidamachuu wrapped themselves around her legs and upper body to balance her weight.

"Nande? What are you talking about?" Usagi asked slowly as she took a hesitant step backward. Usagi seemed to be able to feel a dark aura around the dead miko. Kikyo approached slowly, the sheer effort of standing seemed to be taking a toll on her.

"You, or rather you in a past life, are the one that did this to me," Kikyo said as her voice dripped with venom. "The Shikon no Tama will be mine again and I will make everyone suffer as I have suffered."

"But why? Why would you want to make everyone suffer? Do you think you're the only one that has ever had to suffer?" Usagi demanded as anger began to grow within her. "Everyone has had to suffer in some way, quite feeling sorry for yourself!" Kikyo's eyes narrowed in anger and the Shinidamachuu flew toward Usagi and wrapped themselves tightly around her. Usagi fought against the youkai that pinned her arms to her sides and struggled to hold back her cry of pain as they tightened around her.

"You know nothing of suffering," Kikyo said slowly. Her eyes locked on Usagi's for a moment more before she turned toward Naraku. "Bring Akago." Naraku nodded and walked away from Kikyo toward the pit to the left. When he arrived at the edge, a purplish-pink barrier formed around him and lifted him off the ground.

Inuyasha watched with little interest as the scene unfolded in front of him. He winced slightly at the human girl's cry of pain, but he connected that with his sensitive hearing. He felt nothing as he watched Kikyo torture her. His eyes were trained instead on the dead miko. The one who had sealed them all that time ago. Now here they were, slaves to her. Her soul was incomplete, corrupt. The only part that remained was hatred because she died full of bitterness and hatred. That part of her soul clung to the bones even after her body was burned with the Shikon no Tama so she now stood before them in a body made of grave dirt and her bones and ash. Kikyo had never met her reincarnation, but that one piece of her soul had clung to life even as she was laid to rest. Or it might have only been a residual effect of taking the Shikon no Tama within herself.

"I have been buried in the ground for five hundred years in the dark," Kikyo said as she glared deeply at the blond. "I had what was rightfully mine stolen and I was left to die. She said she was laying me to rest, heh." She paused as she bitter smile crossed her lips. "I did not rest. I was waiting until the day the Shikon no Tama was brought back into this world. Fifteen years ago, he woke up. The one who longs for me, Naraku. He made me this body and cast the spell to awaken me. He is my most trusted servant."

"You can't blame what happened to you on me," Usagi said as she pulled lightly against the youkai. She could barely breathe with them wrapped around her so tightly. "I'm not the one that did this to you."

"Since the one who did this is now dead, I will have to take my revenge on the next best thing. Her reincarnation." Kikyo said coldly as she drew a silver knife from her sleeve. Usagi saw the blade glint dimly in the light and tried to pull herself back into the bodies of the youkai. Of course that didn't work, though. They were much too strong.

"Are you going to kill me?" Usagi asked as her eyes widened in surprise and fear. Kikyo smirked evilly and held the blade up. She drove it as hard as she could into Usagi's shoulder until the only thing that stuck out was the hilt of the knife. Usagi's scream echoed loudly and shrilly throughout the cavern and slowly died down into loud sobs of pain as blood poured out around the knife. Kikyo made no move to pull the knife out; she just stared calmly as the sobbing girl in front of her. She waved her hands and the youkai released Usagi, letting her fall to the ground.

Usagi bit back her tears and rose up onto her hands and knees. Gingerly, she touched the knife that was buried in her shoulder and pulled it out slowly. She felt more tears trickle down her face as pain licked out from the knife wound that went all the way through her shoulder. Tendrils of pain went down her arm to her fingertips and up into her shoulder and neck. She put her hand over the wound to try and slow the blood as she sat up on her legs to look at Kikyo. Kikyo stood above her with no emotion on her face whatsoever. The Shinidamachuu were still supporting her as she looked down at the blond covered in crimson.

Inuyasha couldn't help but wince at this new development. He clenched his fists together as he watched the sobbing girl while the scent of her blood filled the room. The demons in the pits were going wild from the sickeningly sweet smell of her blood. It seemed to be intoxicating them and driving them mad. That's why Inuyasha hadn't been asked to leave, he stayed to keep the weaker youkai in line by protecting their master. Even above the metallic scent of her blood, he caught the scent of lilies and salt from her tears.

"In answer to your question, not yet." Kikyo said slowly as she glared darkly at the crying girl. Usagi closed her eyes tightly and willed herself with all she could to stop the tears. "I can still use you."

"You a demon." Usagi growled through clenched teeth.

"She is no demon, human," A deep voice said as Naraku returned. He carried in his arms a bundle wrapped in soft white fur. "Your weak kind uses that term a lot, don't they." Usagi shakily climbed to her feet as a determined look slowly crossed her face. She still clutched the knife tightly in her left hand. Blood dripped from the end of the blade as she brought it up in a defensive position. "Oh? You're going to try to kill me, are you?" Naraku said as a smirk spread across his face. Before Usagi could even move he was standing right in front of her gripping her wrist painfully tight.

"Itai…" Usagi mumbled as her hand began to fall asleep from the circulation being cut off. She reluctantly dropped the knife and he shoved her to the ground while he still held the bundle firmly in his arms. _'Kuso…'_ Usagi thought as a stab of pain ran up her arm from the sudden jarring movement.

"Akago," He said to the bundle in his arms. The bundle moved slightly and Usagi saw the hand of a baby sticking out of the fur. "Grasp this girl's soul."

"Hai, Naraku." A voice answered as Naraku extended the bundle toward the bleeding girl. Usagi gasped is slight shock and reeled back from the baby's grasping motions as he reached toward her face. He had purple eyes and silver-white hair. He looked human enough, but Usagi got the feeling from him that he was not human at all. Not only that, he looked to be about six months old and he was talking as clear as day. Usagi reeled back but was stopped as the Shinidamachuu wrapped around her shoulders and caused another cry to escape from her mouth. She reluctantly took the baby into her arms, wincing at the weight that had been forced into her arms.

__

'What's happening…?' Usagi wondered to herself as she felt tiny tendrils of something probing at her heart. They were like cold fingers in an unwanted place and she had to force herself not to drop the baby to the ground. It would do no good to release the child; she would only be injured further by that crazy miko.

"Where is the darkness…" Akago mumbled to himself as he groped around inside the girl's soul.

"Is there a problem, Akago?" Naraku asked as his eyes narrowed on the baby.

"Iie… I've found it…" He mumbled as his grip tightened on her shirt. _'She loathes herself for letting her family die…'_ He thought to himself as he dug deeper into her soul. "They're not coming for you." He said in response to Usagi's silent plea for her friends to come for her. "Hate them, they will not save you." Usagi's eyes closed halfway and a glazed look came across them. She no longer felt the throbbed pain in her shoulder; she felt nothing at all. She was in the palm of the infant's hand and there was nothing she could do about it.

****

Kagome woke up the next morning bright and early. She could hear her mom busying herself around the kitchen downstairs. Sango and Shippo were no where to be seen, but Kirara was curled up on the pillow next to Kagome's head. She reached over to scratch the sleeping neko lovingly behind the ear. Kirara purred in response to her touch.

"We need to get up now, Kirara." Kagome said as she sat up and scooped up the sleepy kitty in her arms. She didn't bother to change out of her pajamas and walked down the stairs, yawning loudly and stretching with one arm while the other held Kirara. She walked into the kitchen to see Sango, Miroku, Souta, Shippo, grandpa, and Kagome's mother sitting around the table.

"So, you're finally awake, Kagome," Her mother said as she smiled in Kagome's direction. Kagome forced a smile back and glanced at Shippo. Her mother didn't even seem fazed by the fact there was a demon sitting at the table. "Would you like some breakfast as well?" Kagome nodded in response and plopped down in the chair next to Sango, who was busy eating her breakfast.

"Why isn't mom freaked out about Shippo-chan?" Kagome whispered to Sango.

"Eh?" Sango asked as she looked at Shippo with his little fluffy tail. "Once she found out he's an orphan, she started to treat him like she had another child."

"Honto?" Kagome questioned, as she looked slightly surprised. She hadn't expected her mom to take the existence of demons so easily. Then again, Shippo didn't exactly look threatening. She had also taken in Usagi when the monster the Senshi hadn't been able to hold off killed her family. It was her maternal instincts to take care of a child in need. Kagome smiled at her mom. _'You're the best mom.'_ She thought to herself as she busied herself with clearing the plate that sat on the table in front of her.

"I'm finished." Shippo announced as he stood up on the pile of phonebooks he had been sitting on and pat his stomach.

"Me too," Souta said as he stood up and pushed his chair in. "Do you want to go play video games? I just got the new Zelda game!"

"Vedio games?" Shippo questioned as he looked at the human boy strangely.

"I'll show you." Souta said as he went running toward the stairs. Shippo shrugged and followed the boy up the stairs to his room.

"Grandpa, do you have a bow and some miko arrows?" Kagome asked as she chewed on her food thoughtfully. Her grandfather's face lit up with a smile and tears began to stream down his face.

"You've finally decided to start your training as a priestess. I'm so proud Kagome-chan!" Her grandfather said as he raised his arm and covered his eyes.

"Eh?" Kagome said as her eye twitched and her mouth dropped open. "Jiichan, I didn't say that…" Kagome said with a sweatdrop. Her grandfather put his arm back to his eyes as the tears streamed down his face.

"Where have we gone wrong with this child?" He questioned himself as he complained.

"How about you go get that bow and arrows for Kagome, dad." Kagome's mother said as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He stood up and headed out the back door to the shrine grounds.

"So why do you want a bow, Kagome? I didn't know you were interested in archery." Kagome's mother said as she poured more orange juice into Kagome's cup.

"Huh?" Kagome said as she took another bite. "No reason really, I just thought it would be fun." Her mother smiled and nodded in understanding.

"What time is Usagi-chan coming back from Ayumi-chan's house?" Kagome's mother asked as she busied herself with cleaning up the dishes.

"I'm not sure, she said that it may not be until this evening or even tomorrow. They're working on a project." Kagome lied as she scratched the back of her head and blushed slightly.

"All right, as long as she doesn't miss school on Monday." Kagome's mom said with a smile. _[A.N. Does anyone know Kagome's mom's name? I'm getting tired of saying Kagome's mom .]_.

"I'm done, mama," Kagome said as she took her plate to the sink. "I'm going to go get a shower." She called as she bounded up the stairs toward the bathroom.

****

Kagome, Miroku, and Sango were sitting in the middle of Kagome's room trying to form an attack plan. They knew the direction Usagi was in because they had sensed her spiritual power the previous day, but they didn't know exactly where the den was.

"Hmm…." Kagome said as she thought to herself. "Ah! I know! Shippo-chan must know where they took her!"

"Huh?" Sango asked as she looked over at the younger girl strangely.

"Seriously! When Kouga kidnapped me, he saved me from him. Shippo has to know where their lair is!" Kagome said confidently.

"Demo… can we really trust a kitsune?" Miroku asked calmly with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Of course you can trust me." A young voice piped up. All eyes turned in the direction of Kagome's bed and saw a pink stuffed rabbit walking toward them. In a puff of pink smoke, the stuffed rabbit turned into a young kitsune and landed in Kagome's arms.

"I don't know. Sneaking into a girl's room, disguising yourself as a stuffed animal," Kagome said as she looked away from the kitsune. "I don't know if your trust-worthy material with those crimes against you." Shippo's mouth widened as he tried to retaliate, but he couldn't seem to find the words.

"That is…" Shippo said but was broken off as Kagome spoke again.

"Demo… you are awfully cute." Kagome said as she gathered the kitsune in her arms and hugged him tightly. He laughed and tried to push away, but she persisted and ended up tickling him half to death.

"Ehem?" The clearing of a voice broke in and the two looked in Miroku's direction. "Now, as we were saying. We will enter and head directly toward Usagi's power. Shippo, how close do you think you can get us?"

"It depends on where they have her," Shippo said as he sat in Kagome's lap with his arms crossed over his chest. "If they took her to the master, any entrance is fine because it's the very center. But if she is elsewhere, different entrances are better."

"All right, you will be our guide when we get there," Miroku said and turned to Sango. "You take the back and I'll take the front. Kagome-sama, you are to ride on Kirara between us and shoot any demons that get through. You're with her, Shippo," He then turned to Kirara. "If something happens to either Sango or I, get out of there with Kagome." Kirara half-growled, half-purred in response. "Kagome, we're going to leave the Shikon no Tama here. We can't risk taking it inside their stronghold. The wards will be able to hold out any demon that comes here so don't worry about them getting it. I'll set up some extra wards around the jewel and your room in case they break through."

"Hai… what about… my family?" Kagome asked, as she looked worried. If they came while they were gone, her family would be in danger as well.

"Don't worry, we're not leaving until your mother and grandfather go to Souta's field day." Miroku said with a small smile. Kagome nodded her head in understanding and grabbed the bow that lay at her side.

"There's one problem," Kagome started and a sweatdrop appeared on the back of her head. She held up the bow. "I don't know how to shoot a bow, yet." A sweatdrop appeared on their foreheads as her simple statement dashed their careful plan.

****

"Are you sure this is how you do it?" Kagome asked as she pulled the arrow back on the bowstring. They had set up a target so Kagome could practice and at least learn to hold the bow properly before they went into battle. She wanted to help save her friend from them so she would do all she could to learn.

"Hai, now aim at the target and release." Miroku said as he reached one hand slowly down toward her rear.

"If you touch me, this arrow will be pointed at your head. And I don't think I'll miss at this close range." Kagome nearly hissed through her teeth as she concentrated with all her might. Miroku put both hands up where Kagome could see them as a sheepish look crossed his face and a sweatdrop slid down his cheek.

"Hai, hai, Kagome-sama." Miroku said as he took a step back. Kagome released the arrow and it went flying toward the target. Just when Kagome thought it would hit the target, it dropped from the air and stuck out of the ground in front of the target.

"Eh…" A choked sound came out of Kagome's mouth as the arrow missed and her mouth hung open. "I'm never going to get this." Kagome whined as she went to retrieve her arrow.

"Kagome-chan, Miroku-sama, we're leaving for Souta's field day. We'll be back late tonight, don't make a mess." Kagome's mom called as the three of them headed toward the car.

"Hai! Have fun!" Kagome called as she waved one-handed to her family. At least with her grandfather gone, he wouldn't breathe down her neck like he had been doing the whole time she was practicing. He was very critical and would stop her if she were a millimeter off of anything. Eventually, she had told him to leave and Miroku had taken his place.

"Keep practicing, Kagome. That one almost hit," Shippo said as he sat on the ground with Sango eating an ice cream cone. "This ise scream is really good." Shippo said as a small glob dripped onto the ground. Sango laughed gently and ruffled the kitsune's hair. She had to admit the little squirt had grown on her.

"Minna, we're going to have to leave soon. Take a few more practice shots, Kagome-sama, and then we'll have to leave. We want to be back before you family comes home from the field day." Miroku said as he took a step away from Kagome.

"Hai, Miroku-sama." Kagome said as she fitted the arrow onto the string and pulled it back. She concentrated on the target in front of her and pulled the string back as far as she could. When she released the arrow, it went flying toward the target and hit the third ring out from the center. "Yatta!" Kagome cried as she saw the arrow strike the target. "Did you guys see that?! I actually hit it!" Kagome cried in excitement as Miroku went to retrieve the arrow.

"Good job, Kagome-chan." Sango said with a smile as she clapped her hands. Kirara mewed quietly in congratulations to Kagome.

"A few more shots and then we have to leave." Miroku said as he walked over to the tree and sat down beside Sango.

"What do you think, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked as he slumped forward with his arms propped on his knees.

"I think this is suicide…" He said quietly with his eyes closed. "Kagome-sama isn't ready for this…"

"She won't be wavered, Houshi-sama. Besides, we can't leave Usagi-chan with those monsters. There's no telling what they'll do to her," Sango said as she put a hand on Miroku's arm. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. This is something we have to do." Miroku looked over at her and a slight smile crossed his lips.

"You're right, Sango," Miroku said as he took her hands. "I lost faith for a moment there. Since you have returned my faith to me, will you do me another favor?" He asked as a serious look crossed his face. Sango's face turned red at how close he was to her, but she let him continue with a 'What's the favor?'. "Will you bear my child?"

CRACK!! The sound of Sango's hand on Miroku's face echoed throughout the shrine, which sent the birds in nearby trees flying off.

"Minna, it's time to leave!" Kagome said as she interrupted the odd couple. Kirara transformed in a flurry of fire and a great beast stood in her place. She walked over to Kagome and nudged her leg, implying that she was to ride.

"You're right, Kagome-chan. Let's go." Sango said as she climbed onto the cat behind Kagome. Shippo jumped into Kagome's arms and Miroku was left to walk (or run) along behind the group.

"We're off to save Usagi-chan!" Kagome called as Kirara kicked off into the air and they were on their way.

****

Usagi was walking slowly down the sidewalk holding the white bundle close to her chest in her arms. A woman named Kagura had draped a long white, fur cloak around her shoulders and pulled a strange mask up over her face that looked strangely like a baboon. _[A.N. Think about Naraku's trademark baboon skin when you first see him. That's what this is ~.^]_.

"Go left right here," The bundle in her arms said quietly. The woman named Kagura had been forced by Naraku to accompany them, but she didn't seem too thrilled about babysitting. Usagi turned left as the baby had instructed and the shrine came into view on the top of a steep hill. Usagi walked toward the stairs and the baby halted her in front of them. "Hmm… Kagura, it appears you will have to wait outside."

"Hmm?" Kagura said as she glanced up at the shrine amidst the trees. She opened her fan and lightly began to fan her face with it."Why is that?"

"There is a barrier around this shrine. It's a strong one. You won't be able to pass through without being purified." Akago said calmly as his violet eyes looked up toward the top of the stairs.

"Fine, I'll wait for you here. Don't take all day." Kagura said as she walked to the side and stood to one side of the staircase. She held her fan up to somewhat hide her face from the humans on the street.

Usagi began to ascend the stairs toward the shrine at the top. She was still deep in a trance while the baby held onto her soul and gave her orders. _'No one will come for me…'_ She thought miserably. _'It's my fault they died… I could have saved them…'_ Akago grinned slightly to himself. This girl had been very easy to take control over. _'But…'_ Akago's eyes widened in surprised as he heard the 'But' that broke her thoughts. Her feet continued to move up the stairs as she headed toward the shrine.

__

'My hold on her is slipping…' Akago thought as he closed his eyes and gripped even harder to her soul. Her eyes closed and then glazed over again, as her train of thought was broken. He only had to get the Shikon no Tama… then Master-sama would kill her and make the world a haven for demons and not the pathetic, weak humans.

Usagi reached the top of the stairs and headed for the house. _'Get the Shikon no Tama.'_ He silently urged her through the connection between them. _'Bring it to me!'_ Usagi walked to the door of the house and pushed it inward not bothering to close it behind her. She ascended the stairs and opened Kagome's door. Sitting on Kagome desk in the middle of a pillow was the Shikon on Tama. Surrounding the jewel were wards to keep a demon from taking the jewel.

"Take the jewel," Akago urged as his grip tightened on the fur of the cloak she wore. Usagi reached her hand out and touched the smooth jewelwith her right hand before she picked it up and held it in her palm. "Don't be a fool, hide it," Usagi complied as she slipped the chain over her head and let it hang against her chest. "Go back down to Kagura." Akago said to the blond girl. She turned around and headed back toward the stairs of the house.

She slowly made her way out of the house; her pace slowed as she reached the edge of the shrine's grounds. Her movements became sluggish as if she were trying to break away from his control. _'I… can't… let them… down…'_ A thought broke into Usagi's mind as she put her foot on the top step of the long stairway to the street.

"They aren't going to save you." Akago purred against her as his eyes narrowed and he grasped her soul as tightly as he could hold. He knew he would regret it later, he just had to make it to Kagura. Usagi slowly sunk back under his control and took a step forward and began to make her way down the steps slowly. His control was slipping once again and she managed to find her voice.

"You… " She said quietly with a great amount of effort. "You're wrong…" Her breathing was labored as she struggled against the cold tendrils in her heart. "They went looking for me." Usagi continued as her strength began to return. After the first word, it seemed to snowball and she was suddenly able to speak. The pain in her shoulder began to thud dully as her feelings began to return. Her vision was still slightly cloudy, but she managed to take a step backward onto the step above. "They would never leave me with the likes of you, you monster."

"Kagura!" Akago called out, as his grip on the girl was broken completely. She took a few more steps up and was about to pass through the barrier when a gust of wind blew her forward. She was about to fall when a strong pair of arms caught her. She was aware that the baby had fallen from her arms, but she really didn't care. All she saw was red as darkness encircled her and she leaned into the sweet-smelling soft material.

****

Inuyasha frowned to himself as the blond girl walked mutely toward him with the baby in her arms. Naraku had draped a gaudy, white fur around her shoulders not caring that her blood was slowly turning it crimson. _'Kuso…'_ He thought as he followed her with his eyes. _'She's not going to make it with that wound.'_ He glared at the baby as Akago passed by with the blond. _'Those goddamn detachments… they are the most worthless-'_ His thought was cut off by Naraku's voice.

"Kagura, you will join them on this mission. Do not fail. Bring the Shikon no Tama or you shall suffer the price." Naraku said as he raised his hand. His hand was glowing red as he held it up in the air. Kagura's eyes narrowed on Naraku but she nodded.

"Hai, Naraku-sama." Kagura said bitterly as she bowed slightly and turned to follow the human and Akago.

"Naraku," Kikyo said as she got the attention of the strong youkai. "Please inform Sesshoumaru that if he is to fail me one more time, he will be eliminated."

"Hai, Kikyo-sama." Naraku said as he bowed slightly and began to walk toward the door at the opposite side of the room. He stopped for a moment and glared deeply at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, come to me." Kikyo's voice said weakly as she lay back down in her bed.

"Hai, Kikyo-sama." He said as he walked forward. He changed a glance back at the girl before he approached Kikyo. _'Keh!'_ He thought as the blond kept walking without turning back.

"Inuyasha, you have done well," Kikyo said as he approached her and kneeled beside the bed. "I will reward you for you are the first who has not failed me." She said as she put a hand on his cheek and drew him up so he was face to face with her. She leaned forward and pressed her lips lightly against his. He felt her arms wrap around his shoulders, but there was no warmth in her embrace. His eyes slowly began to close as he returned the kiss gently. Of all the rewards, this was not what he had expected. Everyone knew that Naraku was in love with Kikyo and it was punishable by death if any of the youkai touched her. Kikyo pulled away and looked at Inuyasha with her dark brown eyes. They weren't the eyes that Inuyasha remembered… they were much darker… They were so full of hate, even for him. Inuyasha stood and bowed slightly.

"Arigato, Kikyo-sama. I will return to my room now." Inuyasha said as he turned from her and headed down the hallway toward the exit. He heard the heavy doors close behind him and headed in the direction of his room. At the last turn, instead of going right, he turned left and headed for the nearest exit. He would be able to pick up Kagura's scent easily once he left the caverns. It wasn't as if she could hide it from him, his sense of smell was only rivaled by the other dog demon, Sesshoumaru. The only thing that was easier for him to pick up was the scent of the girl… blood and lilies…

Inuyasha followed the scent of her blood toward the city. He stopped every now and then to relocate the scent as he crossed streets and passed humans on the street.

"Look mama, look at his ears!" A little boy pointed as Inuyasha passed.

"Don't point, it's impolite." The child's mother demanded as she grabbed his hand and put it down.

"Ah, and Otaku! I don't know what manga you're character is from, but you should come on in and buy some manga. We have anything you could want." A woman said from the doorway of a bookstore said as Inuyasha passed. Inuyasha growled at her and she jumped back in surprise.

"Worthless humans…" He growled in the back of his throat as he passed them on the streets. Their scents were filling his nose and making him want to gag. He could smell food cooking from restaurants and he could hear children yelling as they played keep away with a small boy.

He only stopped grumbling when he saw them ahead of him. The human and Kagura… They were standing in front of that shrine the girl lived in. He stayed hidden around the corner in wait. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he owed that girl. She had healed him before when he had been beaten so he wasn't about to let her die. He could tell she had lost a lot of blood just by the scent in the air. The front and back of the white cloak was soaked all the way through and it seemed to be spreading downward through the cloth. _'Baka onna… why did you help me before?'_ He wondered angrily as he fisted his hands at his sides. He felt a sudden urge to punch the wall as hard as he could, but he managed to suppress it within himself. He didn't need to draw their attention to him just yet.

Kagura walked away from the cloaked figure of Usagi and began to head up the stairs with Akago in her arms. He sighed as he waited for them to come back out. He was growing impatient as the minutes ticked by. Still, Kagura seemed unaware of his presence. That was best for him, they didn't need to know that he was here. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers restlessly on his arm. _'Hurry up!'_ He thought to himself as the time ticked slowly by. Finally, after what felt like hours, the girl emerged from the barrier with the hood down. Her eyes were dark midnight blue and stared ahead unblinking… unseeing… _'That bastard… I hate those damn detachments… They're not even real youkai!'_ He prepared himself to take a leap. He had decided he would grab her when she was halfway down the stairs.

He watched her every move and was slightly surprised to see that she stopped near the top of the steps. _'Nani? Is she? Breaking his hold?'_ He silently wondered as he stared at the scene in front of him. He had never known a mere human that could break away from Akago once he had grasped their soul. Kagura stood at the bottom of the steps with the fan in her hands. She gently fanned herself as she glared up at the child that was struggling to keep his hold on the human. _'I've seen enough of this.'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he saw the human slowly backing up the steps to the barrier. At the same moment, Kagura drew back her fan and sent an attack at the unsuspecting girl.

"Fujin no Mai!" She said in a low voice as she sent the attack toward the top of the steps. Inuyasha chose that moment and leapt up the stairs as well. He beat the attack and pulled the girl against his chest, but he attack hit him full in the back. He winced slightly, but luckily for him he was a demon and he had the fire-rat fur haori on, which took the brunt of the attack. Any human would have been sliced to pieces. He glanced down at the woman in his arms and saw that she was completely unconscious in his arms. "Traitor!!" Kagura shouted as she drew back her fan once again. "Fujin no Mai!"

"Keh! Do you think you can hit me with the same weak attack again, Kagura?" Inuyasha asked confidently as he dodged the attack easily. Akago had seemed to float down into her arms and she glanced down at the baby with uncertainty. He had never failed in a mission before.

"Shi ne, Inuyasha!" Kagura yelled as she tried her attack for a third time. Inuyasha had expected this and dodged to the other side as the blades of wind cut deep gashes into the steps and surrounding vegetation. What Inuyasha hadn't expected was the second gust of wind that pushed him backward… straight toward the pure barrier…

****

::Fin::

December 9, 2003

Shinidamachuu: These are Kikyo "soul skimmers" (I think that's the translation in the dub or the sub *forgets*)

I know I deviated from the story of Inuyasha on how Kikyo was resurrected, I tried to think of a reasonable way to bring her back because of the way I wanted it to unfold. Naraku awoke first and brought Kikyo back into her fake body. Then Kikyo gathers all of the youkai that were waking up over the years to build a great army. There are some youkai that are no under her control, though. Look at Shippo and Kirara ~.^

Oh, and those of you that don't know, Akago is the baby that you see Kagura fly off with before Hakureizan collapsed. He basically can see into a person's soul and is able to twist it to his whims. I'm not sure if he's a youkai or not^^; so I made him like Kanna, he can pass through the barriers easily. And to those that don't know, Kagura is another detachment/offspring of Naraku. She's traitorous but Naraku holds her heart (when his hand glows red *points up*) so she has to do as he says. Oh, and the reason they wanted Usagi to get the jewel was because her friends would be off their guard if they saw her^^ (if you were wondering). Hehe^^; I just realized how much people have their souls messed with in this series^^; It's kinda funny, actually^^


	9. Chapter 8 Butterfly Kiss

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Uragirimono

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcuss back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are _italicized_

Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)

**** Change of scene, time, etc…

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Sailor Ronin Usa-chan: *grins and accepts cookies AND ham* Yummy ham *drools* Hehe, I know how bad that series was^^; It was AWFUL so go ahead and say it ~.^ *grins* It's so much easier to stay inspired when you have someone to write with *grins* I love Souta-kun!! He's so kawaii *squeals* and he really looks out for his neechan in the series too^^ A lot better than Shingo, ne? ~.^   
**Himeno Midori**: Wow so quick with the reviews^^ I just posted this chapter maybe an hour or two ago *grins* Hehe, sorry I gave you a weird dream^^ I just think Kanna (in the series) is so cute^^ Even though she's an offspring of Naraku and is therefore "evil". I brought in a bunch of his other detachments/offspring as well because hey, the more the merrier ~.^ The whole sending Naraku to talk to Sesshoumaru is just because of the fact that Fluffy HASN'T been doing his job ~.^ Kikyo is getting mad because Fluffy has only ever tried to steal the jewel once. Don't worry, though, he'll become more important later^^ *glomps* Thank you for the long reviews!! I LOVE long reviews!! *gives you a cookie*  
**midlight bunny**: *grins* Don't worry, I have it all planned out^^ You'll see more of the past, I tried to give it a very long back story, but I still kept elements from Inuyasha^^  
**Mitsukai11**: Oooo! I caught a non-AU reader! Sugoi *bounces* I've been on a writing kick lately (me and Usa-chan *points up* have been trading ficcies so this one has been updated a lot more than the others^^). I think it's a lot harder to write an AU fic than if you stick to the regular story because you have to create your own universe^^ And I think Usagi and Inu-kun would look SOO kawaii together. I've always been a fan of Miroku/Sango and Kouga is SUCH a sweet heart *squeals* And Kagome is a VERY strong character, I like her a lot^^ I love Inu-kun in present day^^ And I think it would be interesting to see youkai attacking Tokyo o.O since most of the fighting happens in Sengoku Jidai (in IY). *grins* I hope you enjoy the rest of it^^  
**moonlover86**: *grins* Don't worry, Usagi will learn to defend herself later on~.^  
**Anime Gurl16**: You've reviewed every chapter just about^^ Arigato!   
themoonmaiden: Gomen this is so confusing^^; There's just a lot of bad guys in this series^^; I'll try to write it so you can keep them straight, gomen for the confusion^^; and youkai is the right word ~.^ There will be LOTS more back story so the confusion will be cleared up when I present all of that ~.^ I just want the characters to develop more before everything is revealed^^  
**Eternalmoonprincess**: *grins* I LOVE Tolkien!! I'm about halfway through the Silmarillion cuz it kinda drags, u know what I mean? I know what happens in it, though. In my English II class in college, we read LOTR (I'd read it outside of class before) and had to do a 10-page research paper on some aspect of it. I did mine on the relationship between Gimli and Legolas (cuz elves and dwarves hate each other so I was able to relate it to prejudice, etc… got an A+ too^^). If you haven't seen much IY I suggest you watch it (when you find time ~.^) cuz it's SUCH a good series!!! I LOVE IT!! Anyway, jyaki is kinda like evil youkai power (most of the time it's been there for a while so it builds up, they sense it kinda like a bad vibe-ish thingy^^;). *grins* Thank you for the HUGE compliment, when a reviewer compliments you for keeping people in character, it's about the best compliment someone can give *grins* I've had a bunch of people ask if Usagi was Sailor Moon in this story. At this point she's not, but that may change later on, I haven't decided yet^^; And I know some of you are upset that Usagi can't really defend herself, but she'll learn a few new tricks, and Inuyasha will be there to protect her when the story develops more ~.^ I would like to give a HUGE thank you to **Sailor Ronin Usa-chan** once again for this chapter^^ If it weren't for her (and our fanfiction trade), this chapter would have taken ALOT longer to finish *grins* BTW, go read her SM/WK story **Cold Love, Twisted Love** if you have a strong stomach, it's very graphic but it's SOO good!

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Chapter 9 – Butterfly Kiss…

"Are we almost there, Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked as she glanced down at the monk that was walking beside them. He seemed to be in deep thought as he searched for something. Kagome wasn't sure what the serious look on his face was for or why he stopped walking abruptly.

"Kuso!" He cried out as he felt a blast of power in the distance. He turned around and began running in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him.

"What's wrong, Houshi-sama?!" Sango demanded worriedly as Kirara followed the monk.

"Her energy! She's at the shrine!" Miroku said as he felt a huge burst of pure energy coming from the direction of the shrine. "They used her to lure us away from the Shikon no Tama! We have to hurry!" He yelled as he picked up his speed to his fastest. His adrenaline kicked in and he managed to push himself even faster.

"Miroku-sama, we're going to go on ahead with Kirara!" Kagome said as she gripped her bow with one hand. Sure she didn't have a good shot, but she had to at least try. Her best friend, her sister was in danger. Kagome made a silent vow to herself that she wouldn't let anything happen to Usagi. She only hoped she wasn't too late already.

__

'Kuso! How could I have been so blind?!' Miroku thought angrily as he ran as fast as he could. 'I should have expected something like this from them.' He growled low in his throat as he pushed himself faster. Kirara and the girls had gone on ahead, but he could still see them from the ground. For a human, he had speed and stamina. He could run as fast as most demons without any trouble. The only ones that really gave him trouble were the wolves. They weren't only fast; they were cunning as well. That was how the wolf had been able to steal Kagome right under his nose and put that damn mark on her.

Miroku growled louder as he remembered seeing the small mark on her neck, the mate mark of that damn wolf. He must have forced her to let him do that, he only hoped he hadn't forced anything else. Although it would have been obvious if he had stolen her innocence from her. She probably wasn't even aware of the mark on his neck or that the weaker youkai would leave her alone because of it.

He knew a lot about certain breeds of youkai because he had been fighting them for 15 years. Even as a child, he had fought along side of his father who was eventually sucked into the hole in his hand. The sons of his family had been cursed with the Kazaana for about 500 years now, ever since a particularly powerful youkai had ripped the hole in his ancestor's hand. It was said that the youkai had the ability to shift his shape and disguised himself as a beautiful woman, thereby distracting the young priest and ripping the hole. _'What a damn fool…'_ Miroku thought to himself as he pictured the young monk_. 'To let a woman distract him like that… There is no way I would let a woman distract me…' [A.N. We all know that's not true ~.^ I love you, Miroku *glomps*]._

"Kuso…" Sango mumbled to herself as she glanced back at the priest. She couldn't just leave him behind like that. "Kirara, we have to go back for Houshi-sama. We're going to need his help, I sense a very powerful youkai up ahead." Kirara growled lightly in response but did as she was told and turned back for the priest.

"Nani?! I told you to go on ahead!" Miroku growled as the group came back.

"Baka, we're going to need your help!" Sango said as she reached a hand down for the monk. "Kirara, do you think you can carry all of us?" Kirara nodded her furry head and growled in reply. "Arigato, Kirara." Sango said as she pulled Miroku up onto the cat youkai behind her. Kagome sat behind Miroku. _'Ah… two beautiful women…'_ Miroku sighed as he sat between the two women contentedly.

"Don't even think about it, Houshi-sama." Sango growled as she unconsciously felt his hand creeping toward her rear.

"Eh… haha." Miroku said as he put a hand behind his head and laughed nervously as a sweatdrop slid down his face. "I was just testing you, Sango."

"There, they are!" Kagome said suddenly as her voice broke into the conversation. Kagome was pointing to the ground at a woman with black hair who was carrying something in a white bundle.

"She's a youkai!" Shippo said as he jumped onto Kirara's head and pointed toward her. "And I recognize that scent! She must be related to him!"

"To whom?" Kagome asked as they approached the figure.

"His name is Naraku, and he's really powerful. That must mean she's his offspring." Shippo said as he sniffed the air again. Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver and fit it onto the bowstring.

"Kirara, go lower, I'll see if I can hit her." Kagome said as she pulled the string taut. Sango and Miroku readied themselves to jump from Kirara's back as soon as Kirara got close enough to the ground and Shippo's hands were glowing with a faint blue light.

Kagome felt her blood freeze as the woman's red eyes looked up. _'Nani?!'_ Kagome thought to herself as she met the eyes of the woman. _'She looks so scary…'_ Kagome thought to herself as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Kirara's feet touched the ground and two of the human's jumped off.

"Don't move!" Kagome shouted as she trained her arrow on the woman. The woman looked unimpressed by the action of the dark-haired girl.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango yelled as she flung the boomerang at the woman as hard as she could. The youki of this woman was very strong and by her appearance, she was not one to be taken lightly.

"Ho?" The woman made a sound as she drew out a fan. She flipped it open in one swift movement and made to fan the air away from her. As a result, the giant boomerang's direction changed and headed right back at its owner.

"Nani?!" Kagome cried as she saw the boomerang head straight for Sango. She had just started to move to get in between her and the weapon when she saw a purple blur shove her out of the way. "Sango-chan!! Daijoubu?!" She called as she saw Miroku land with the taijiya on the ground. She heard a quiet groan in that direction, which she assumed, was a yes. "You! Who are you and where's Usagi-chan?!"

"Usagi? Sorry, never heard of her." The woman said with a confident smirk. She hid her face partly behind her fan as she held the bundle in her arms.

"We know she was with you! Who are you and where is Usagi-chan?!?" Kagome demanded as she readied herself to let loose the arrow. She knew she wasn't a very good shot, but she had to at least try. She glanced over and saw Miroku helping Sango to her feet, and saw Shippo still with Kirara.

"I'm Kagura, the wind user. Are you talking about that healing girl?" Kagura asked with a bore

look on her face.

"Hai! What did you do to her?!" Kagome demanded angrily as her eyes narrowed. Miroku had helped Sango to her feet and was trying to steady her. He had come at her as fast as he could so the air had been knocked out of her pretty bad.

"Hmm… She was boring so I let Inuyasha finish the job." Kagura said as she raised her fan once again.

"You left her with Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned as the mad look changed into a confused one. "Demo, he can't hurt her." Kagome said slowly, then a smile broke out across her face. "I'm so relieved, I thought she was going to be killed." Kagome said with a grin as she loosened up her grip on the bow.

"Nani?" Kagura questioned as she raised an eyebrow in Kagome's direction. "What are you talking about, human?" She demanded as her eyes narrowed.

"Ah, nothing. Minna, let's hurry to the temple, ne?" Kagome said as she called over to her friends.

"Oi." Kagura said as Kagome ran across the street to where her friends stood.

"Usagi-chan must be all right if she left Inuyasha to kill her. He can't touch her, remember?" Kagome said as she approached her friends.

"Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Kagura demanded as her eyes narrowed. "I'm not done with you! Ryuujin no mai!!!" She cried as she brought her fan down. In a matter of seconds, large tornadoes appeared and headed straight for the small group. As the tornadoes sped toward them, they ripped up the tar from the road, pulled telephone poles out of the ground, and flipped over the cars that were parked along the streets.

"EH?!?" Kagome and Sango cried in unison as the attack headed straight for them.

"Kirara!" Shippo cried as he gripped her fur tightly. Kirara took off into the air and headed for the small group. She didn't arrive in time to grab Kagome, though.

"Iiie!!" Kagome cried as the wind grabbed her and lifted her up into the air. She felt her feet leave the ground as she moved upward with the wind lashing at her body. She felt small pebbles and branches scratch her skin as she hugged her arms to her chest. She couldn't breathe… She couldn't see… The only thing she was thinking was when she was going to hit the ground… _'I'm going to die?'_ She asked herself as she felt the air gusts surrounding her body.

"Kagome-chan!!" Sango cried as she saw the wind grab her friend and lift her into the air. A moment later, Kagome had completely disappeared from her view. "Kagome-chan!!!" She shrieked again as she reached her arms into the air after the girl. "You bitch!!!" Sango screamed as she turned her attention back to the wind user.

"Oh? You managed to dodge?" Kagura asked as she saw the two humans and kitsune floating away on the cat.

"You're going to die, Kagura!!" Sango shouted as she gripped her hiraikotsu until her knuckles turned white.

****

Inuyasha cursed himself for not noticing her counter-attack sooner and felt himself falling backward, straight toward the barrier. He closed his arms tightly around the girl in his arms and turned so his back that would hit the barrier first. As he struck the barrier, he cried out in pain as the barrier started to purify his youki.

His whole body was on fire… every nerve ending was reacting and shooting pain throughout his body. _'Kuso!'_ He thought to himself as the pain continued to race through his body. He was aware that he was screaming in pain, but it didn't matter to him. He had never felt such excruciating pain in his life before. He saw spots before his eyes… yellow and black… and two glowing red dots that he could only comprehend as being Kagura's eyes… _'You bitch…'_ He thought as he felt himself sink completely through the barrier with the girl still in his arms.

__

~All was dark… black everywhere… Inuyasha couldn't tell where he was, but his whole body ached… 'I'm not dead… am I?'_ He silently wondered as his eyes traveled around the darkness. There was nothing for him to see as far as he could see. All was black… and empty… just like him… He was empty and alone… He heard laughter…_

"Nani?!? Who's there!!" He demanded angrily as the laughter continued. There was no answer… The laughter continued… It was a child, a boy from what Inuyasha could tell. "Show yourself!!" Inuyasha demanded angrily as he stood up and searched around him for the source of the voice.

"Ne, will you play with me?" A quiet voice asked from behind him. Inuyasha whirled around, ready to take the head off of the person who had awakened him from his sleep but stopped and stared in shock.

"You're…" Inuyasha started as he took a step back and fell. "How is this possible? You're me?" Inuyasha questioned as he stared into the golden eyes of the child in red clothes. He held a ball against his chest as he stared up at Inuyasha with his glowing eyes.

"You'll play with me, right?" ChibiInuyasha asked as he held the ball out toward Inuyasha.

"Keh! Yeah right, weakling!!" Inuyasha demanded angrily as he growled at the weak child. He had left that child behind long ago, the day his mother had died. He frowned deeply to himself and the child slowly started to fade.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat and crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. 'I wasn't a little brat like that!!' _He told himself as he sulked. He glanced up and nearly choked as he saw that the blackness was slowly changing… it was becoming a lush, green field with flowers here and there and a forest in the distance._

"Nani?!" He demanded as he stood up again and growled low in his throat. "What the hell is this?!"

"Give me the Shikon no Tama?!?" A boy demanded as he ran past Inuyasha up the hill. Inuyasha turned his attention to a figure he had just noticed… a woman… miko to be precise.

"Miko?" Inuyasha questioned as he followed the younger form of himself up the hill toward the woman. He stopped when he was within ten feet of her and his breath caught in his throat. She was glowing in the sunlight… long golden-blond hair that glinted happily in the sun… such deep blue eyes that the ocean was jealous of such a color… It was her. "Masaka…" He mumbled as the figure of the healing girl stood before him. Around her neck hung a necklace with a glowing white jewel hanging upon it.

"I'll kill you for that jewel!" Inuyasha demanded as he approached her. She rose her bow and shot a single arrow at him, which pinned the leg of his pants to the ground.

"You won't harm me, Inuyasha…" She said calmly as she turned around and headed the rest of the way up the hill.

'I… I don't remember this…'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he watched the blond retreat farther up the hill with his younger self growling as he tried to pull the purity arrow from his haori._

The sky grew dark around Inuyasha and he growled low in his throat. Something was happening… but what? He jumped in surprise as a great orange light appeared behind him. He drew in a sharp breath as he turned and saw a great fire at the bottom of the open hill.

"What the hell is going on?!?" He demanded as he ran down the hill toward the fire. He stopped as he reached the edge of the town and drew in his breath once again… a great youkai had settled itself into the village… She stood in front of it with her bow drawn.

"I will release you from this madness!" She cried as she released the arrow. It sped toward the great youkai with a speed that no arrow could possess no matter who had shot it. Around the arrow a blinding silver light shone, which rang out against the harsh red glow of the fire.

"Iie!!" The monster shrieked as the arrow pierced its chest. Inuyasha had to shield his eyes from the flash of light that filled the whole area moments later. He could hear cries of pain echo through the small village in the valley, but one voice filled his ears above all the rest… the beautiful miko who had shot the arrow…~

Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open and he groaned in pain. He didn't recall hitting the ground or blacking out. _'What a strange dream…' _He thought as he brought his hand to his throbbing head. He didn't even want to think about sitting up. Every muscle in his body was tensed up and aching. Not only that, but there was some weight pinned down against him and he wasn't quite sure what it was. _'Oh… that's right…'_ He thought as he glanced up at the blond human, who was lying in his arms unconscious and bleeding all over. He groaned and struggled to sit up. His clothes were smoking from their contact with the pure barrier and he winced as he tried to keep the girl from falling to the ground. The girl still lay in his arms as he struggled to his feet. He could barely hold back a low growl as his body protested against his movements_. 'Huh? I… went through the barrier? Humph! It must not have been as strong as I thought!' _He thought as he saw that he had passed the top step of the temple.

He struggled to lift the girl and settled at half-dragging, half-carrying her instead. He was slowly pulling the unconscious girl toward the house and had to stop to catch his breath. He leaned over slightly to catch his breath and gasped when his hair fell in front of his face. _'So that's why I'm alive… Kuso!' _Inuyasha thought as he pushed his black hair back behind his shoulder and hoisted the girl up once again. _'I'll just take care of her wound and then we're even.' _He thought to himself as made his way slowly toward the house.

He pushed the door open slowly and pulled the girl into the house after him. He didn't have the strength to close the door behind him, but he felt his body finally starting to let him move properly. He wasn't fond of his weak human form, but it would have to do until he passed out through the barrier once more and could regain his youkai powers. He brought her into what appeared to be a kitchen and lifted her up to lie her on the table. There was no need to spread her blood across the rest of the house. It was also for convenience sake, Inuyasha didn't know if he could drag her all the way to a bathroom anyway.

After lying her down on the table, he grabbed the bloody white cloak that surrounded her and pulled it off in one quick movement. The girl groaned quietly as the cloak was pulled across her wound. Inuyasha frowned at her attire. She was wearing a shirt with no straps and a really short kimono. _'What kind of a woman is she?!'_ He thought angrily as he laid the cloak over her stomach as a blanket. _'Hmm… bandages…'_ He thought to himself as he began to go through the cupboards to find something to wrap her wound with. He was no doctor, but he knew enough about taking care of his own wounds to be able to take care of hers. It didn't have to be perfect anyway, because he planned on leaving after he was done with that.

****

"Oh?" Kagura said as she looked at the taijiya. Sango's eyes were narrowed in detest at the youkai that stood before her. Kagura didn't even seemed fazed by the look on the exterminator's face or the way her hands twitched, ready to fling her boomerang with all of her strength. "You think you can beat me with that little toy?" She questioned confidently as she tightened her grip on the baby in her arms.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Kagome-chan," Sango growled as she raised her boomerang to throw it. Miroku stood by her side with his hands fisted and an angry scowl on his face. This woman had some nerve… She was going to die, if not by Sango, then by him. Sango raised her throwing arm and let loose hiraikotsu with all the strength she could muster. The weapon went flying at full speed toward the youkai.

"Baka, do you really think this will hurt me?" Kagura asked confidently as she raised her fan once more and brought it down. "Ryuujin no mai!" She shouted as she sent a funnel of wind toward the weapon. "A weapon like this can't hurt me. I control the wind, idiot." She said confidently. What she didn't expect was the searing pain she felt in her side a moment later. Her eyes widened in shock and pain as she felt something sharp slice into her flesh. _'Kuso…'_ She thought as she fell to her knees with one hand on her bleeding side.

"You should really pay more attention, Kagura." A confident voice said from behind her. Kagura growled low in her throat but turned to see a man standing behind her.

"What the hell are you doing, Kouga!?" Kagura demanded as she saw him standing before her with that human miko in his arms.

"What does it look like, weakling. I'm protecting my mate." He said simply as he held the unconscious girl in his arms.

"Nani?! Mate?!?" She demanded as she stared in anger at the wolf demon that had injured her.

"Huh? You didn't notice the mark?" He asked as he pulled down the collar on the girl's shirt to reveal two small puncture wounds that had already started to heal. Kagura's eyes widened slightly at this sight.

"Oh? So, you've taken a worthless human as your mate, ne?" She questioned as a smirk spread across her lips. "This is an interesting turn of events. I'm sure Master-sama will be interested in hearing this development."

"Heh! Like I care what that onna has to say about anything," Kouga said with his same confident smirk. "I don't take orders from anyone. The only reason I followed was so I could steal the Shikon no Tama for myself, baka."

"Is that so…" Kagura said as she rose to her feet. She reached into her hair and pulled out a single feather and smiled slightly to herself. "Well, I guess I will be going now." She said as she tossed the feather into the air and landed on its enlarged form. "Ja."

"Kisama!! Matte!" Kouga growled after her as Kagura floated away with the bundle sleeping soundly in her arms. "Kuso…"

"Put Kagome-sama down, youkai!" A voice demanded, which broke into Kouga's train of thought.

"Huh?" He questioned as he looked toward the sound of the voice. He stood about thirty feet away with the taijiya and the youkai that had stolen his mate from him before. "What do you want?" He asked as he shifted Kagome's weight slightly so he could hold her closer to himself.

"Let her go!" Sango yelled as a blade broke through the sleeve of her shirt. Her hiraikotsu had been deflected easily by the wind-user Kagura and lay several feet away in the bushes at the side of the street.

"Heh! She's mine, like I'd give my mate to you humans." Kouga said as he turned away and prepared to take off back to his den with his pack.

"You kidnapped her! If you really cared about her, you'd let her go! She's wounded!" Sango yelled as she ran toward the youkai with her blade drawn. Kouga smirked as the human girl ran toward him. Of course she would be no match for him, he was too fast for that. What he didn't expect was the fist that went flying into his chin.

"Baka…" A groggy voice said as Kouga fell backward onto the sidewalk with Kagome on his chest. "I'm not your woman…"

"Hmm?" Kouga groaned quietly as he rubbed his sore chin. He felt someone move and saw that that his mate was struggling to break from his grip. "Nani? Was that you?" He questioned as he sat up slowly. He had his arm wrapped around her waist tightly as she struggled to free herself.

"What do you mean your _'mate'_?!? I don't even know you!" Kagome growled as she struggled to break free from his arms.

"Did you just hit me?" He questioned as he looked at her wide-eyed.

"Baka! You don't just show up and declare that they belong to you! It doesn't work that way!" Kagome nearly yelled as she raised her hand to slap him across the face. He grabbed her hand before she had the chance to swing, though.

"That's the first time I've been hit by an onna…" He said thoughtfully as he looked at her hand that he still held. His grip was surprisingly gentle, and Kagome blushed at the strange look he was giving her.

"Nande?" She questioned as a slight blush crept across her cheeks. He was just staring at her face with a dazed, slightly dizzy look. "Stop looking at me like that!" Kagome yelled as she turned her head to the side and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Release her!" A voice purred next to Kouga's ear. He turned his eyes to the side and saw the exterminator on his left side with a blade pressed firmly to his throat. Kouga sighed and released his hold on Kagome.

"Fine, I'll let Kagome stay with you for a little longer," Kouga said as he rose to his feet. He paid no mind to the youkai exterminator that had her eyes leveled on his every more, or the priest that held his right hand up ready to suck him in if he made one move toward Kagome. "I'll return for you, Kagome." Kouga said with a smirk and a wink. With that, he turned around and sped off down the street and disappeared around the corner.

"Kagome!" Shippo cried as he ran toward the miko and launched himself into her arms. "I was so scared! I thought you were dead!"

"I'm fine, Shippo-chan." Kagome said as she held the bundle of fur in her arms.

"We'd better get you home, you have some pretty serious injuries, Kagome-sama." Miroku said as he reached a hand down to help her up. Kagome gladly accepted the offered hand and was pulled back to her feet.

"It was strange… the look in his eyes was different…" Kagome said to herself as she put the end of her finger to her mouth. "What a weird situation." She said with a heavy sigh.

"Come on, minna," Sango said as she picked up her boomerang and began to run toward the shrine. They were still several blocks away so it would take a few minutes before they got there, even if they decided to ride Kirara.

****

"There…" Inuyasha said as he tied the end of the bandages on the blonde's shoulder. He was kind of glad she had been dressed so scantily so he was able to take care of her wound without seeing anything inappropriate. Inuyasha blushed as this indecent thought passed through his mind. "baka…" He muttered to himself angrily.

He decided that it would be best if he returned the injured girl to her room and gently slipped his arms under her. His strength had returned to him, well as much as it did in his human form, so he did not struggle with her weight when he had to bring her in the house_. 'For someone so small… she weighs a lot!'_ Inuyasha thought bitterly as he lifted her from the table and carried her toward the stairs. He was passing the front door as a sound made him jump and nearly drop the girl in his arms.

"Neechan! Mama wants to know if she left her camera!" A voice called as the front door opened. Inuyasha turned toward the voice and stopped dead in his tracks as a small kid with black hair skidded to a stop, a look of horror on his face.

"Kuso…" Inuyasha muttered as he took a step backward. He hadn't expected anyone to see him in the house with Usagi. He had planned on taking care of her wound and then leaving, then no one would be the wiser of his act of kindness. _'Nani?! Act of kindness?! This is just to repay my debt to her!!' _Inuyasha's inner voice screamed at him as he took another unsteady step backward.

"Who are you?" Souta asked as he took a step backward toward the door. Souta took note of the blood that stained the black-haired man's clothes and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the bundle the older man was holding. "Usagi-chan? What have you done to her?!" Souta demanded as his normal scared self seemed to sink backward into his subconscious.

"Keh! I didn't touch the wench!" Inuyasha growled out at the kid as a scowl crossed his face.

"You did something!! You're both covered in blood!!! What did you do to her?!?" Souta demanded as he balled his small fists at his sides. He had returned from his picnic to get his mother's camera, he never expected to see some guy dressed in old fashioned clothes, covered in blood, holding his girl at the bottom of the stairs of his house. _'Eh? My girl?'_ Souta thought as a slight blush crept across his face.

"I told you, brat, I didn't do this. Get lost!" Inuyasha growled as he turned away from the kid. He had no reason to fear some little human brat.

"This is my house, get out!" Souta yelled as he charged at the older boy. He raised his hand to hit the older boy but gasped slightly at the speed of him. Before Souta had even reached him, he had seemed to disappear. "Eh?"

"Look kid. I don't have time for this." Inuyasha growled as he punched the kid in the stomach hard enough to knock him out. He didn't want to deal with the runt so he did the only thing he could think to get rid of him.

Souta's eyes widened in shock as he felt the air leave his lungs. His eyes began to cloud over as he slumped forward, all of his strength leaving him. _'Gomen… Usagi-chan…'_ Souta thought as he fell to the floor and didn't move. He couldn't breathe… His lungs were completely devoid of air while he lay motionless, trying with all his might to draw air into his lungs. _[A.N. The feeling of suffocating is about the worst, scariest thing that can happen! I nearly died on the soccer field like that my senior year… Scary…]._ He could vaguely hear the steps creak as the older man began to head upstairs. _'Kuso…'_ He thought as he rolled onto his side and finally managed to draw air into his lungs. He coughed and sputtered as he managed to breathe and his beating heart began to slow slightly.

"Usagi-chan…" He croaked out as he climbed to his feet and headed for the stairs. He put a hand on his stomach where the fist had connected and stopped halfway up the stairs to draw in a shaky breath. He could hear the footsteps headed his way and struggled to the top of the stairs and ducked into the room at the top of the steps.

Inuyasha came stomping out of Usagi's room with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. Her room had been the most awful place he'd ever been. Every inch of the room was covered with pink and bunnies. He knew now why they called her Usagi, though. _'Time to get out of this place.' _He thought to himself as he put his foot down on the top step and prepared to descend them. He hadn't expected a pair of hands to push him from behind as he tumbled down the stairs head over heels. _'Kuso…'_ He thought as the hard wood floor loomed closer… he saw the intricate patterns of the wood as everything seemed to move in slow motion… then blackness encased him…

****

"Hayuku! We're almost there!" Miroku said as they reached the front door of the house. It hung wide open as they approached.

"Usagi-chan!!" Kagome cried as loud as she could as they approached the house. She put on a burst of speed and ran through the front door before the others and headed for the living room. "Usagi-chan?! Where are you?! Are you all right?!?" She called as she ran into the main room of the house. She skidded to a stop at what she saw. "N… nani?"

"What is it, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked as she skidded to a stop behind the girl. She followed Kagome's gaze and her eye started to twitch at the scene. Shippo was still in Kagome's arms and looked confused at the looks on their faces.

"Who is that?" Shippo asked as he cast a confused look up at Kagome. Miroku was the last into the room with Kirara right at his feet and a sweatdrop appeared on his forehead at the scene.

"Is that…" Kagome started as she pointed at the figure that was securely tied to a chair with a mixture of rope, fishing wire, and nylons.

"Inuyasha?" Sango finished as she pointed at the figure. He looked strange… he looked…

"Human?" Miroku asked as he was the first to step into the room.

"Does that mean he's a hanyou?" Sango questioned as she walked into the room and kneeled by Inuyasha's chair.

"How did he get here?" Kagome asked as she took a reluctant step forward. She half expected him to jump out of the chair and try to kill her or something.

"Do you think Usagi-chan did this?" Sango asked as she poked his cheek with one finger. He groaned slightly but his eyes remained closed. Whoever had done this had even put a gag in the demon's mouth that looked like an old dishtowel or something.

"Hmm… I'm not sure…" Miroku said as he took a step away from the unconscious boy. "I'm going to check upstairs for her. Wait here until I tell you it's safe. And keep your blade on him until we have a chance to question him, na?"

"Hai, Houshi-sama." Sango said as she pulled the katana at her hip out of the sheath.

Miroku made his way to the steps and climbed them silently. He was careful not to make the slightest sound in case something else had managed to get through the barrier. He had noticed it had been disturbed when they'd come in, but he thought that must have been from Shippo and Kirara when they re-entered the shrine grounds. He peeked in the open doors as he passed and threw a few ofudas into each room to be sure there was nothing hiding within the rooms, and soon found his way to Usagi's door. He could hear movement inside and he froze.

"Who's there?!" Miroku demanded as his grip tightened on his staff and he pushed the door to Usagi's room open swiftly. He leveled his staff on the throat of the noisy perpetrator and nearly had a heart attack when he saw it was only Souta. What made him even more shocked was the blond figure lying on the bed covered in blood. "Nani!? Usagi-sama!" He cried as he rushed to the girl's side.

"She's fine, Miroku. She was already bandaged when he brought her up here." Souta said as he put his hand on his chest to slow his racing heart. This hadn't been the first time in one day he had been startled. He had been ready, though. He had even gone to the kitchen and found the biggest knife they had in case that weird guy managed to get out of his ropes. The fishing line was some of the strongest they made, and he'd used a lot of it so if the rest didn't hold, that would have at least.

"Eh? You mean Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned as he looked strangely at the boy. Souta nodded in reply and turned his attention back to Usagi. He had a bowl of warm water next to her bed and had been in the process of wiping the blood off of her skin and out of her hair when Miroku had startled him. Miroku sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. We thought she was going to die."

"How long have they been after her?" Souta asked with a determined look on his face over at Miroku. The priest's eyes widened slightly and a sweatdrop appeared on his forehead.

"Eh hehehe. I'm going to go see how Sango is." Miroku said as he made his way hastily toward the bedroom door. Miroku closed the door noiselessly behind him and left Souta alone with the blonde girl once again.

"I'll protect you, Usagi-chan." Souta said to the sleeping girl as he leaned down and brushed his lips lightly across her. The girl slept on, completely oblivious to the affections of the young boy who had protected her.

****

::Fin::

December 19, 2003

taijiya: I think this is Youkai Exterminator… maybe it was taijin (that's what I used earlier .) I forget, gomen! I need to rewatch some episodes to find out^^;

Ok, I was going to make Inuyasha a full demon, but I changed my mind at the end of this chapter.^^; He's still going to be a hanyou, then we can see kawaii human Inuyasha w/his black hair *squeals* Sides, it makes the "love" story more believable because he has a human heart.^^ 

I'm really sorry if this story seems rushed . I've had a few people tell me I was rushing. I just have SOOO many ideas for this story^^; And page-wise, I haven't been rushing at all. Each chapter has been at least 9 pages (some have been up to 11 pages^^;). This story is going to be REALLY long. I've barely even touched on the Senshi or Sesshoumaru^^; You'll see more of them, I promise^^ And there'll be more Kagome/Kouga action~.^ I think they're SOO kawaii together *squeals* And just for you, Usa-chan, they'll be more Souta crushing on Usagi ~.^ (Hehe, since you put some SchuSchu moments in "**Cold Love, Twisted Love**" at my request, I'll have to put some Souta/Usa stuff here ~.^).


	10. Chapter 9 Sleeping Memories

****

Uragirimono

Notes: I was just bored one day so I sat down and started writing. I have no intention for this piece. I don't even know why I'm writing it when I have so much still unfinished. I guess I just need a break so I can sit down and get some fresh ideas into my head. I'll go back some day and re-watch some anime and finish some of my ficcies, but I really don't know when. I'm tired of writing the same old cliche fics and I just wanna have a lil fun again. Anyway, this'll be a Sailor Moon, Inuyasha ficcy (since that anime rox^^ I finally got to see it, fansub of course ~.^). Anyway, I really don't want to make this a romance, but if it takes that turn *shrugs* gomen. Well, that's all I'm gonna ramble on about for now. Please review or email me at pokahydee@mysticallegends.net. Also, check out my fanfiction contest on my site There is currently no deadline until I receive more entrees. If this is good enough, maybe I'll enter it in that contest I'm a judge of *thinks and shrugs*

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

****

Sailor Ronin Usa-chan: *grins* That lil scene was put in there just for you, imouto-chan ~.^ For all the SchuSchu goodness in CLTL ^^ Hehe, don't wanna dig your hole even deeper ne? I noticed, I had a few ppl mention that they heard about it from you^^ Arigato *glomps* I don't know if I'd say one of the best *blushes* Yatta!! *eats cookies* Merry Christmas!  
**setsuna-3000**: *grins* I'm glad you like it^^ I'm writing as fast as I can, it's hard to find time cuz of x-mas^^;  
**Mitsukai11**: You have to have a little conflict with the love story ne? ~.^ And Souta is so adorable *glomps* Making Inuyasha a hanyou gave me more to play with too^^ I really like how the Kouga/Kagome side-story is going^^ So kawaii *squeals* Course Kouga won't lose his roughness though ~.^ That's what makes him, him, ne? I've just started answering the reviewers, I need to cut down my responses though... I had like a full page of it last chapter^^; I'll update as fast as I can *grins* I'm glad you like it, I'm having a blast writing it and I still have SOOO many more ideas^^  
**Anime Gurl16**: Hehe^^; Not so sure when/if Inuyasha is going to kiss Usagi^^; He's kinda a tough character, I dun think he'd fall in love so soon^^; I'm trying to keep everyone as in character as I can (a real challenge too .). I'm sure it'll happen eventually though ~.^  
**Himeno Midori**: *grins* I think the Souta/Usa thing is kawaii^^ It may be a lil weird cuz she is so much older though o.O Never seen Haunted Junktion^^; o.O female pedophile *shudders* That's kinda scary^^;  
**midlight bunny**: *smiles* It adds a lil flavor to the story ne? Hehe^^ everyone seems to think the Inu/Souta thing is either cute or weird^^;  
**usagi Asia Maxwell**: Well, here's the update you were looking for ~.^ I've been writing this a lot faster than the rest of my fics though^^  
**Silly Smiles**: I'm writing as fast as I can^^; It's hard to find time with the holidays^^; Sorry to confuse you^^; I'm going to explain everything eventually^^ Gotta keep ya in suspense for a while though~.^   
**Haruka-hime**: Erm^^; Gomen for the suffocation, I'm just trying to keep everyone in character, that's the toughest thing for an author (in my opinion). And when I mentioned the leather sailor fukus, I was referring to the Starlights because their outfits look like they're made out of leather^^; I will prolly go back and specify a lil better, gomen.  
**themoonmaiden**: Souta is SOO adorable *glomps him* He has black hair and he's just a lil kid, but he's so cute^^ Think a younger Shingo with black hair and a little younger, kinda a scaredy car, but ADORABLE^^ *grins* Inu-kun's starting to come around ~.^ He can't exactly go back since he helped Usagi, you know what I mean *evil grin* Like I said before, I LOVE the Kagome/Kouga pairing^^ She's just the person to soften his heart (like she does for Inu-kun in the series^^). Hehe, he might come after you if you called him sweet *sweatdrop* He has to keep up his badass appearance.  
**GoddessVixen**: Thanx^^ And here's another update ~.^

Thoughts are _italicized  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc...

****

Chapter 9 - Sleeping Memories

"Sesshoumaru-sama, where exactly are we going?" Jyaken asked as he broke the long silence. They had been walking for a day and a half already, but they weren't really headed anywhere as far as Jyaken knew. After Naraku had come to inform them of Master-sama's disappointment, Sesshoumaru had left with his only companion.

__

~"Sesshoumaru-sama," A voice broke through the complete silence of the room. There was no light, no sound, only the smell of mold and the damp air against the skin. Sesshoumaru sat on the floor with his arms crossed over his chest and no emotion on his face. "Master-sama is most disappointed in you. You have not been even attempting to complete your mission."

"I owe that human nothing." Sesshoumaru said calmly with his eyes still closed. Jyaken sat across the room from him, sound asleep on the damp floor.

"She is the reason you have been re-awakened. You owe her your allegiance." Naraku said as his eyes narrowed on the dog demon before him. Even without any light in the room, Naraku could see Sesshoumaru leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I serve no one, especially a human." Sesshoumaru said as he rose to his feet slowly. "Jyaken." He walked over to the green youkai and kicked him awake. "We're leaving now."

"Where are you going?" Naraku demanded as he glared at the dog demon.

"That is my business. Step out of the way, hanyou, or I shall end your life right now." Sesshoumaru said coldly. Jyaken stood by Sesshoumaru's side and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"As you wish, Sesshoumaru-sama. If you interfere with our plans, you shall die." Naraku said as a smirk spread across his face. Sesshoumaru didn't answer; he merely walked past the half-demon Naraku without so much as a side-ways glance.

"Wait for me, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jyaken called as he ran after the taller youkai who he served.~

Jyaken received no answer from Sesshoumaru as they continued to walk. They were in a forest north of Tokyo at this point and they didn't seem to be headed in any particular direction. That was the way it looked to Jyaken though. They were following a river northward and thankfully they hadn't come across any large towns or cities. While leaving Tokyo, they had received quite a few stares and it was all Jyaken could do that he didn't try to kill the humans gawking at his Sesshoumaru-sama.

"If you can use this, you can remain by my side." Sesshoumaru said as he reached his hand into the waterfall the stood beneath. He pulled a staff out from behind the falls and tossed it to his green companion. It was taller than the youkai and made of wood with a man's head on one side and a woman's on the other.

"The staff of heads?" Jyaken said, amazed that it had fallen into his hands.

"If you, I'll end your life." Sesshoumaru added as an afterthought as his eyes narrowed on the green youkai. Jyaken's eyes widened and he immediately started to bow and thank Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I will not fail you! I will use this for whatever will you wish, doomo arigato gozaimasu!" Jyaken said as he continued to bow.

"Hmmm... then use it to find my father's grave." Sesshoumaru said calmly.

"Your father's grave?" Jyaken questioned as he scratched his head. "Hai! I will find your father's grave for you, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jyaken said as a new resolve crossed his face and he began to bow before the dog youkai.

****

"I can't believe he's still unconscious." Kagome whined to herself as she flipped through the channels lazily. It had been nearly six hours and Inuyasha was still unconscious tied to his chair. They wanted him to wake up so they could question him. They had added to Souta's already numerous ropes and strings so he couldn't break loose once he woke up.

"He must have hit his head hard. Ne Souta?" Shippo said as he glanced over at his new friend. Souta smiled shyly and nodded his head.

"Do you think he'll have any brain damage?" Miroku asked as he poked the hanyou in the head.

"I don't know... Souta-kun, what exactly did he hit his head on?" Sango asked as she looked at the black-haired boy thoughtfully.

"I think he just hit it on the floor. He might have hit it on the banister as well, though." Souta said with a smug smile. "I didn't mean to hurt him though!" Souta quickly corrected himself as a blush broke out across his cheeks.

"I'm sure it didn't do any permanent damage. He's a tough guy." Miroku said as he poked Inuyasha in the head again.

"Maybe we should hit him again for picking on Souta." Kagome said calmly as she flipped to a different channel. "Mou this is so boring. There isn't even anything to watch on television."

"Dinner's ready." Souta and Kagome's mom called from the kitchen.

"Hai!" Kagome called as she bounced up from the couch and took off toward the kitchen with Souta and Shippo right on her tail.

"Well, we might as well take a break." Miroku said as he and Sango followed the other two into the opposite room.

"So Kagome, who's that boy tied to the chair in there?" Kagome's mom asked as the girl sat down at the table across from her grandfather.

"Eh? Ah, well that's Inuyasha. It's kind of a long story though." Kagome said as she blushed slightly and a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead.

"There is plenty of time to tell it to me then." Her mother said as she put different platters and dishes on the table in front of the guests.

"Hai, mama." Kagome said with a sweatdrop on her forehead. She wasn't sure if her mother would actually believe her, but there was no way to fool her mother. Besides, it was easier to tell the truth than it was to make up some silly lie.

****

Usagi groaned slightly and tried to sit up. Her body ached. The pain seemed concentrated around her shoulder so she abandoned her wish to sit up and fell back against the pillow. She didn't know what had happened or how she had ended up back at home in her bed. The last she knew she had been holding that weird baby and he was feeling around inside of her chest for something. But there was also that vision she had had... someone wearing red had saved her or so she thought.

"Was that... Inuyasha?" She asked herself as she forced herself to sit up. Her shoulder throbbed painfully and she winced as she clutched the injury. She lifted her hand up and saw that her shoulder was bound tightly with bandages. "I wonder who did this..." She said to herself quietly as she brought her feet over the edge of the bed and stood shakily. She noticed that she was wearing a furry cloak-like thing that was covered in blood. She quickly shimmied out of the bloodstained cloth and walked to her closet and pulled out a simple kimono. She draped it around her shoulders and tied it around her waist loosely.

"Usagi-chan, are you awake yet?" A soft voice called from the other side. It was accompanied by a soft knock before the door swung inward.

"Souta-kun?" Usagi questioned as her eyes focused on the boy. She took a few slow steps toward him and glanced down to see a tray in his arms.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, Usagi." Souta said as he set the tray down on her desk and took her hand. He led her back over to the bed and pushed her lightly so she would sit down.

"I'm fine, Souta-kun. Where's Kagome? What about Sango and Miroku?" She asked as she tried to stand up once again.

"No you're not fine. You were bleeding really bad, you should lie back down." Souta argued as he refused to let her stand. He stood in front of her with a frown on his face. "Mama asked me to bring you up some dinner." He walked over to her desk and picked up the tray again and took it over to Usagi.

"Arigato, Souta-kun." Usagi said with a smile as he placed the tray in her lap. She reached over and turned on the lamp that sat on her nightstand and brought her feet back up onto the bed. Souta reached behind her back and set the pillows up so she could lean against the headrest. Usagi reached for the chopsticks with her right hand and stopped when a stabbing pain spread through her arm from her shoulder.

"Daijoubu, Usagi-chan?" Souta asked as concern instantly filled his face. "You shouldn't move that arm. Here, I'll help you." He said as he picked up her chopsticks and began to help Usagi eat the rice his mother had sent up with him.

"You're so sweet, Souta-kun." Usagi said with a smile as she accepted his help with the chopsticks. It seemed like whenever she moved her arm just slightly, it sent another jarring pain shudder up her entire arm so it would have been nearly impossible for her to eat with her right hand. She didn't notice him blush as she complimented him but nodded his head to acknowledge that he had heard her.

****

__

~"Wake up, Inuyasha..." A soft voice purred into his ear. Inuyasha could feel someone's warm breath on his ear and it sent a chill down his spine. "It is time to awaken, my love." The voice continued this time a little more insistent and harsh. He felt a small groan come to the surface and rolled over onto his side. 'I wish that voice would let me sleep...'_ He thought inwardly as he pulled the blankets up to his chin. "I said wake up, Inuyasha!" The feminine voice snapped and then Inuyasha felt cold all over._

"What do you want?!" He snapped as he turned to face the source of the voice. That intrusive voice that had woken him up from his long slumber. He didn't want to be awake if she was no longer around... 'Who is she?'_ The thought suddenly hit him... _'Who was it that I lost? I can't remember her anymore...'_ A panicked look crossed his face as he raked his memories for the one that he had tried to protect._

"I am here, Inuyasha." A soothing voice said close to his ear. Inuyasha jerked his head to the side and saw two pools of endless brown. Somehow it seemed that those eyes weren't quite right.

"That's right... you are the one I protected..." He said quietly as he stared at the familiar face of the black-haired woman. She appeared to be very weak, but he knew her face well. Something inside of him was squirming... it wasn't right, this woman had an aura that could freeze a person to death if they remained in her presence for too long... It was completely unlike that person...

"That's right Inuyasha," The woman said with a smile as she took Inuyasha's face into her hands. "I am the one you protected. I'm the woman you loved." She said as she smiled sweetly into his face. Her hands were cold as she held his face, but he felt himself drawn to her... The inches between them lessened and he felt her soft lips brush across his. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Her body felt frail in his arms as he deepened the kiss. He felt her respond with as much hunger as he felt inside of him. 'I wanted her once... I wanted her to be mine forever...'_ He thought vaguely as he slowly pulled away from the kiss._ 'But this isn't right...'_ He pushed her away slightly and turned his face away from her hypnotic gaze._

"This - is - wrong..." He said slowly as he held his head in his hands. Pain was splitting through his head as he held it between his hands. There was something he had to remember... something awful that had happened a long time ago... 'Why can't I remember?!?'_ His inner voice demanded as the pain grew much stronger._

"Inuyasha... I love you..." A soft voice echoed in his ear. He closed his eyes as the pain spread to his hands and slowly down his arms.

"Come... back..." He whispered as he tried to find the source of the voice. His surroundings faded and he found himself sitting on a cold, stone ground gripping his pounding head between his hands. "I need to remember!" He shouted as a growl tore from his throat.~

"Come back!" A yell tore from Inuyasha's mouth and startled all the occupants of the room. The priest and the taijiya jumped to their feet and grabbed their weapons at the yell that broke the relative quiet of the room. It was just after dinner and everyone was sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace. Kagome had been surprised her mother had taken the story seriously and hadn't been too upset by it. Kagome's grandfather knew a little about the Shikon no Tama but not much more than they had known, he did sell little Shikon no Tama key chains at the shrine to the people that came to visit. And of course he tried to tell everyone the history of the jewel, even if he didn't know much of it himself.

__

~Inuyasha fought against an invisible force. He couldn't move his arms... they were pinned to his sides for some odd reason. It felt like his arms were chained to his sides with thorns... Something kept biting into the flesh of his arms. His head continued to pound but it seemed to take position toward the front of his head in his forehead and the very top of his head.

The voice was gone, but a low murmur filled his ears now. He couldn't hear what the voices were saying, but they seemed to be getting louder. He wanted to hear that sweet voice again... the voice from the girl he wanted to protect... He couldn't remember the way she looked, but he could sense her aura nearby. He knew it well, as well as that scent... lilies and tears... He had always made her cry, if not for one reason, then for another...

"Don't cry..." He whispered as he heard gentle sobs.~

"Eh? Did he just say 'don't cry'?" Kagome questioned as she approached the half-conscious Inuyasha. "I think he hit his head harder than any of us thought he did."

"I think you're right, Kagome-chan." Sango said as a sweatdrop slid down her cheek.

"Oi, wake up." Miroku said as he poked Inuyasha's forehead. There was a low growl from the half-demon and his eyes slowly opened to reveal grayish-blue eyes from under the lids.

"What the hell hit me...?" He asked as he groaned slightly. He tried to bring his hand to his head but realized that he was unable to move his arms. "Nani...?" He questioned as he blinked a few times. Slowly... his eyes came into focus and he looked up to see about six or seven pairs of eyes staring down at him. "Eh?"

"You're Inuyasha, correct?" The one who looked like a priest asked as he held up a staff in a defensive position. "What is your business here?"

Inuyasha blinked up at the group of people assembled around him and then it dawned on him why he couldn't move his arms... and why his head felt like someone had hit him with a sledgehammer. _'It was that brat!!'_ His inner voice screamed at him. _'Damn it!! I'm in the enemy's stronghold!! They can kill me at any time!!'_

"What are you doing here!! Answer me, hanyou!!" Miroku nearly yelled as he pushed the end of the staff under Inuyasha's chin. The half-demon growled low in his throat but couldn't retaliate against the priest in his current state.

"It's none of your damn business!" Inuyasha growled as he ignored the throbbing pain in his head. "What are you waiting for?!? Kill me demon exterminator!!" He demanded as he turned his hard gaze onto Sango. She held a stout sword in front of herself protectively. She didn't trust that this hanyou couldn't break the binds. After all, she didn't come across many half-demons so she didn't know their strength.

"We want answers! What is your business here!" Sango demanded as she tightened her grip on the sword.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said as he tore his gaze from the people in front of him and stuck his nose in the air.

"You must be hungry, Inuyasha-san." A warm voice said from behind the two interrogators.

"Mama..." Kagome said as a sweatdrop slid down the back of the heads of all of the room's occupants. Leave it to Kagome's mother to offer the 'bad guy' something to eat.

"Why don't you untie this young man," Kagome's mom said as she walked toward the front of the group.

"Don't mama!" Kagome started as she stepped forward and grabbed her mother's hand. "He tried to kill Usagi-chan! We can't trust him!"

"Oh stop it, Kagome. It's very rude to tie someone to a chair and not even offer them something to eat." Her mother said sternly as she pulled her hand from Kagome's. "Now then, are you hungry young man?"

"Eh... uh... a little, I guess." Inuyasha said uncertainly. What strange people these were indeed... Here they thought he had come to kill the blond human and steal the Shikon no Tama and they were offering to feed him.

"All right, I just have to warm it back up. I'll be back in a few minutes." Kagome's mom said as she smiled down at the dark-haired boy. She turned around and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Your mother is something else, Kagome-chan." Miroku said as he scratched his face in an embarrassed manner.

"She's a good person, though." Kagome said with a smile and a sweatdrop.

"Now, let's get back to business. What exactly are you doing here?" Miroku asked seriously as he turned back to face Inuyasha.

"Heh... I was just repaying a debt. Then that little brat shoved me down the stairs." Inuyasha growled as his eyes narrowed.

"Repaying a debt?" Kagome questioned as she took a step closer. "You mean because Usagi-chan healed you the other day?" Inuyasha didn't answer but frowned deeply and Kagome knew that was the case.

"So that would mean you saved her from that Kagura lady then!" Shippo piped up as he jumped into Kagome's arms.

"That stupid detachment is no match for me." Inuyasha said confidently.

"And to think that my little brother knocked this guy out cold for over six hours and he's only a human child." Kagome said dryly. Inuyasha growled low in his throat at this comment but didn't retaliate. His head hurt too much at that moment.

"Why should we believe that?" Miroku demanded as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's the truth, Miroku-sama." A soft voice said from the hallway. All eyes turned to see a figure walking slowly toward them.

"Usagi-chan, you should be in bed!" Souta piped up as he bound down the hallway after her. Usagi was wearing a simple purple kimono and had her arm tied in a sling. They could see the bandage come up under the collar just slightly in the dim light. "If it weren't for Inuyasha, I would have bled to death before anyone came home." Usagi said as she walked slowly into the room. Her skin was much paler that normal and she had dark rings under her eyes. "And not only that, they would have the Shikon no Tama by now." She said as she reached around her neck and pulled out the necklace that she still wore.

"Eh? The Shikon no Tama!" Kagome nearly cried as she saw her adopted sister pull the necklace out from under her shirt. "How did you get this, Usagi-chan?" She asked as she looked up at the blond girl.

"That weird baby... Akago was his name... tried to use me to bring them the Shikon no Tama..." Usagi said slowly as she came into the room and sat down on the edge of the couch. She glanced over at Inuyasha and a small smile crossed her lips. "Arigato, Inuyasha-kun. I guess this means we're even, ne?"

"Heh, I'd say so..." He muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"Untie him, Miroku-sama. He is no threat here." Usagi said as a small smile touched her lips.

"But, Usagi-sama-" He argued as he turned toward the blond girl.

"Please, Miroku-sama. He won't do us any harm here." Usagi said as she slid farther onto the couch and leaned back into the soft pillows.

"Hai." He said with a nod as he turned back to Inuyasha. His eyes narrowed on the half-demon as he began the task of untying the numerous ropes and strings that held him tightly to his chair. "If you so much as attempt to hurt Usagi-sama, you'll answer to me." He said in a low voice as he glared at the dark-haired boy. Inuyasha said nothing but continued to stare up at Miroku with a deep glare in his eyes. _'I have to get out of here...'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as his eyes turned from Miroku toward the different exits.

****

"Would you like some more rice, Inuyasha-san?" Kagome's mother asked politely as the dark-haired boy sat cross-legged at the coffee table with various bowls and dishes in front of him. He looked at the woman with an odd expression.

"What is with you people?!" He demanded angrily. "I'm the bad guy here! Don't you get it?!?" Kagome's mother giggled lightly and refilled Inuyasha's bowl with rice.

"You don't seem bad to me, Inuyasha-san." Kagome's mother said with a smile. "You haven't done anything to threaten my family."

"Why don't we try to become friends, Inuyasha-kun?" Usagi asked as she shifted in her position on the couch. Kagome sat next to her with Shippo in her lap and Kirara was curled up in Usagi's lap. Souta sat next to his mother and was glaring fixedly at Inuyasha. He hadn't forgotten about their previous encounter or about the bruise that was forming on his stomach. Miroku and Sango sat across the room with their weapons ready in case things took a turn for the worse. Neither one of them had said much since the untying of Inuyasha. It was obvious that they didn't trust him, but Usagi had a feeling he wasn't as mean or tough as he acted. She had a feeling it was just a façade so he wouldn't get close to anyone.

"Keh! I don't need any friends!" Inuyasha said with a scowl as he refused to make eye contact with Usagi.

"Everyone needs friends, Inuyasha-kun." Usagi said as she smiled at him. Inuyasha turned to glare at her but it faded as his eyes fell on her. She looked nothing like the girl he had met a few days prior. All the strength he had seen in her face seemed to have faded along with the color of her skin. Her eyes still had that warm glow to them, though. He caught himself staring and diverted his eyes instantly. "Besides, you saved me back there. You can't really go back, can you?" Inuyasha didn't answer. He refused to meet her gaze and just frowned as he glared at the far wall.

"How about we continue this discussion in the morning, everyone." Kagome's mom said as she rose to her feet. "It's getting really late, I think it's about time that everyone turned in for the night. Inuyasha, if you would like to stay tonight, you can sleep on the couch. I'll bring you down some pillows and blankets in a minute."

"Eh?" Inuyasha looked at the smiling human woman in shock. She was even offering him a place to stay for the night? How strange...

"Souta, its time for bed." Kagome's mom said as she tried to hustle the younger boy upstairs.

"You aren't seriously going to trust him are you mom?!" Souta demanded as a panicked look crossed his face. "After everything he's done?!"

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Souta." Kagome's mom said as she began to push him toward the doorway. "Besides, he's not a bad kid, just a little misguided."

"Mama, he's a demon!" Souta cried as she pushed him toward the stairs.

"That's the self-fulfilling prophecy. If someone says that you're a demon, you will start to act that way. Just like if you are called a angel, you will start to act that like." Kagome's mother said as she continued to push the boy along. "Now that is enough fighting, it's way past your bed time. Go brush your teeth, young man."

"Hai, mama..." Souta said dejectedly as he continued up the stairs to the bathroom.

"Go on minna, I'm going to stay down here for a few minutes." Usagi said as she leaned her head back against the couch.

"Are you sure you'll be all right alone with him?" Sango asked as she stood and walked toward the couch. She glared down at Inuyasha as she passed.

"I'll be fine, Sango-chan." Usagi said with a weak giggle. "Besides, he didn't kill me any of the times before even if he threatened it."

"That's right, he didn't!" Kagome said as she broke the relative quiet of the room. "Maybe he's not so bad after all!"

"Nani!? I'm a demon, you idiot!" Inuyasha growled at the dark-haired girl. "If I had my claws I'd kill you for that!"

"Inuyasha..." A soft voice said. He turned slightly to look at the injured blonde. "Osuwari." Inuyasha's eyes widened as the beads around his neck began to glow and he crashed to the ground with a painful yelp. His head was pounding more than ever after the impact and he didn't move an inch.

"Eh? How did you do that, Usagi-san?" Shippo asked as he looked over at the blonde girl.

"Huh? Oh, those beads around his neck. You're so kawaii!" Usagi said quietly as she plucked the kitsune from Kagome's arms. She cuddled him lightly as she pet his hair and fluffy tail.

"Usagi-chan," Kagome started as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead. "I think you need to let Shippo-chan go now. He's turning blue."

"Eh? Ah! Gomen, Shippo-chan." Usagi said as she blushed slightly and released the young kitsune. Kagome took the kit from her arms and headed toward the stairs.

"Let's get ready for bed, Shippo-chan. You can sleep with me again if you want." Kagome said as she headed up the stairs.

"I guess we can leave the two of you alone. If you need our help for anything, Usagi-chan, feel free to yell." Sango said as she cast one more glare in Inuyasha's direction. She grabbed Miroku's sleeve and began dragging him down the hallway toward the stairs.

"What do you want, wench?" Inuyasha growled as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back to Usagi.

"I told you already not to call me wench! My name is Usagi! U-sa-gi!! And I wanted to know the reason you saved me." Usagi said as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I already told you, I owed you. Can I go now?" Inuyasha demanded as he refused to turn back to her.

"You risked your life to protect me from that woman. I know it wasn't just because you owed me." Usagi said slowly as she tried to recall what had happened earlier that day. She had a vague idea of what had happened, but parts of it were just so hazy. Once that baby had grasped onto her, her memories were blurred to the point where she wasn't sure if it had been a few hours or a few weeks that she had been under his control.

"Keh!" Inuyasha answered as he stuck his face in the air. He didn't know this girl any explanations for why he had saved her. He didn't owe her anything anymore. He only wished his head would quite throbbing.

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha-kun?" Usagi asked as she rose from the couch and walked toward him. She knelt in front of him and pushed his bangs off his forehead with her left hand. He jumped at her touch and tried to pull away from him. "Stop fussing, Inuyasha-kun. You have a big bump on your head. Do you want me to get you some tylenol?"

"Tilenal?" He questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

"Aa, it will help with your headache." Usagi said as she stood up and walked toward the kitchen. She stopped and looked back at where he sat on the floor. "Well come on, it's in the kitchen." Inuyasha reluctantly followed Usagi into the kitchen. He sat down on the chair as she walked over to one of the cabinets. She opened the door and stood on tiptoe trying to reach a basket on the top shelf. "Why does she keep it on the top shelf?" Usagi complained as she stretched to reach the basket.

"Baka, you're too short." Inuyasha said with a frown as he walked over to the cupboard and reached up the grab the basket easily. Usagi frowned and tears filled her eyes.

"I'm not an idiot." She whined as the tears slid down her cheeks. "Why are you so mean?" She asked as more tears slid down her cheeks.

"Eh? Are you crying?!" Inuyasha asked as a sweatdrop appeared on his forehead. "Stop crying, onna!" He nearly yelled as loud sobs came from Usagi. "What a baby..." Inuyasha muttered as he put his hands over his ears. This only made her volume increase as crocodile tears slid down her cheeks.

****

"The staff of heads was pointing to the west, Sesshoumaru-sama." Jyaken asked as he waddled along behind the silver-haired dog demon. Sesshoumaru said nothing as he walked ahead of the green youkai. He knew his father's grave was still around, but he wasn't sure exactly where it was. It had been over 500 years since the taiyoukai had died so the grave markers probably weren't as visible as they would have been at one time.

Sesshoumaru frowned slightly as he saw a group of people headed for him. From their scent they were definitely human. They were carrying weapons unlike any he had seen before and a strange scent clung to their clothes. It was a tangy smell that irritated his sensitive sense of smell.

"There are the monsters! Kill them!" One of the humans shouted and waved his hand forward. The humans lined up in front of Sesshoumaru and knelt down with their weapons pointed at him and Jyaken. "On my mark!" The man called as he brought his hands above his head.

"Hmm?" Sesshoumaru mused as he raised on eyebrow. _'Stupid humans. So eager to die.'_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he closed his eyes and a small frown touched his lips. He really didn't feel like stinking of human blood, but if that was the way they wanted to play it, he was game.

"Fire!" The human shouted as he brought his arms down. Loud bursts of noise, smoke, and fire flew from the ends of the weapons the humans were wielding. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and narrowed them at the humans before leaping into the air to avoid the small pellets of metal that flew toward him. He landed a few feet away nimbly and just looked at the men with no expression on his face.

"If you want to die so soon, I will comply." Sesshoumaru said calmly as his right hand began to glow. From the end of his hand a green whip appeared that he cracked in warning.

"What is he?" One of the men cried as he fell back onto his butt, his gun fell to the side.

"He's some sort of monster!" The man next to him said in fear.

"Hold your ground, men!" The obvious leader of the group commanded as he turned to face the approaching silver-haired man. Before the leader could move out of the way, a blurred figure appeared before him and grabbed him around the neck. He choked and sputtered as he felt the burning sensation around his neck. "F... fire!" He choked out as he felt the bones in his neck begin to snap. The few that still held onto their guns complied and shot another round at the demon.

"You think these toys can hurt Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru asked as a smirked played across his lips. He held the human up as a shield and the bullets struck his back, making his blood spray across Sesshoumaru's face. The demon frowned deeply as he tossed the mangled body to the side in disgust. "Shi ne!" He shouted as he charged the armed men with his whip and claws. The humans fell to the ground dead before any of them even had a chance to move from their spots.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama! That was amazing, you're so strong!" Jyaken said as he came up behind the dog demon. He stopped moving when Sesshoumaru turned his way and he saw that his eyes were blood red. "What's wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?!" Jyaken asked as he took a step backward. He had never seen his master so angry after being approached by a few worthless humans. That's when he noticed the small tear in Sesshoumaru's haori and the red liquid that was seeping through the white material. "You were injured by a human?!" Jyaken sounded outraged at this strange turn of events.

"Are you ready to die as well, Jyaken?" Sesshoumaru said as he turned toward the small youkai and narrowed his eyes in anger. His eyes had returned to normal, but it didn't seem that his anger had lessened in the least. "What strange weapons this age has..." Sesshoumaru said as he examined one of the fallen guns. He growled low in his throat and flung the weapon to the ground, then turned to examine the wound. It would undoubtedly heal before the day was through, but it was the principle that a human had made him bleed. They were just worthless humans, after all. Even more worthless than hanyous... Like a certain brother of his. He hadn't remembered this when he had first woken up. That must have been a side effect of being sealed into eternal sleep, memories had a way of being altered. It also may have been because of that human miko who thought she could rule over the youkai. What an ego that woman had.

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jyaken trailed off as he saw the silently fuming Sesshoumaru. He didn't want to interrupt the Lord of the West, especially when he was in this type of a mood. A few minutes later, though, Jyaken glanced up to see that Sesshoumaru was walking across the field full of fallen human soldiers. "Matte nasai!!" Jyaken called as he ran after his master. _'All right! I'll find that grave for Sesshoumaru-sama and then he'll thank me most graciously!!'_ Jyaken thought as he ran after the tall demon.

Sesshoumaru's mind was set as he continued on his journey to find his father's grave. He was already strong, but he wanted more power. He had the strength of his father, now he wanted the treasure that would complete his strength. _'The Fang... I want the Fang...'_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself as he padded through the field in the direction the Staff of Heads had pointed that day. The pain in his arm had faded to a dull ache and would soon heal. Once he had the fang, not even Naraku and Kikyo would be able to stop him. He would kill them as soon as he had finished with his little brother for daring that they could control his power. Now that he had regained his memories, he would kill them... and Inuyasha...

****

::Fin::

January 11, 2004

Mou: Geez  
**Oi!**: Hey!  
**Aa**: Yes, yeah (informal)  
**onna**: woman (I've been told this is a rude form *shrugs*)  
**taiyoukai**: the great monster (translation from a fansub)  
**matte nasai**: wait (wait up)

Gomen it took me so long to finish this everyone. Things have been crazy around here because of the holiday and stuff so this is really the first chance I've had to work on this. Also, I was a little stuck on how I would have Inuyasha wake up^^; Anyway, things are starting to warm up a little bit. There are just so many different areas I need to touch on and I've been neglecting lately . Gomen! I just have so many ideas and it's tough to throw them all in here. Anyway, this chapter is about 9 1/2 pages so it's a lil longer than some other chapters^^ I hope you enjoyed it. School starts tomorrow so I may not have as much time to write, I'm very sorry *pouts* Anyway, email me at krissi_chan@yahoo.com or just leave a review ne (my website domain has expired so until I have the $ to renew it, I'll be using that email)? Well, gotta go now, ja ne! Wow... I'm already up to page 90 o.O


	11. Chapter 10 Bickering and Uneasiness

****

Uragirimono

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

****

Sailor Ronin Usa-chan: First to review again I see ~.^ And a nice LONG one at that *grins* Hehe, I'll be able to drink before you :P Yup^^ I'm past page 100 now *bounces* Yatta! *blushes* I wouldn't say THE best but I like how it's progressing. I'm gonna advertise for a beta in this update *points down* Hehe^^ There'll be more Inuyasha abuse, I promise ~.^ He's half demon, he doesn't get hurt as easily *grins* I've always been a fan of Kag/Kou and Kag/Inu *grins* So there'll definitely be more of that for ya ~.^ I have a slow connection so I haven't been too thrilled with re-uploading the site over dial up anyway . Aww!! That's so sweet^^ You've been around longer than I have though *hands you tray of fresh-baked cookies with LOADS of chocolate chips*  
**Angel-Goddess**: Yay! A long review that actually had some thought put into it! Yatta!! *hands you a whole tray of cookies* *grins and blushes* I'm glad you like the story, I'm having a BLAST writing it *bounces around the room* I'm already at page 100 and I still have SOOOO much I want to happen *bounces* Anyway, when I was watching IY fansubs, it sounds like Jyaken is saying 'matte nasai' hmm… it may have been 'omatte nasai' (that's just what it sounds like, dunno how it is spelled^^;) *shrugs* I'm taking sign language so I don't know too terribly much Japanese^^; (they only have Japanese at the main campus of my school and I go to a branch .). And like I've said many times before, saying that the characters are in character is like the BIGGEST compliment an author can receive *blushes* Arigato!!  
**Mitsukai11**: *grins* Don't worry, the love story will be growing gradually the further this story goes^^ And I have to say this is going to be a LONG story. I'm already at page 100 *cheers* Yatta! Hehe, Kikyo is kinda a block ne? You have to have a lil conflict though ~.^ I'm still debating if I'm going to make Usagi become a Senshi or not… She has to be kinda weak right now or else Inuyasha won't have anything to protect ~.^ And he needs humans to protect to use the Tetsusaiga ne? Anyway, thank you for being a very loyal reviewer *hands a tray of the same cookies I have Usa-chan* *points up*  
**Serenity Komoshiro**: Here's another update for ya^^ Hope you like it ~.^  
**Usago Asia Maxwell**: Yo^^ Glad you liked it! Isn't Souta adorable!! *huggles chibi* Here's another update for ya ~.^

Notes: *sniffles* I was kinda disappointed with the amount of reviews I received for the last chapter. I know it wasn't the best and not too much happened but I only got 5 reviews *cries* Anyway, updates may be slow after this…. I'm having major problems with my relationship and I don't really feel like writing because of it… So it may be a while before there are any more updates, sorry to all you loyal fans.

I also want to say that I'm looking for a beta-reading for this story and "A New Star in the Sky" and maybe a few others. You would have to have good grammar and be able to point out spots that are sticky or need to be reworked slightly. I have a tendency to switch between tenses so it would be nice if you were able to pick those out too. If you are interested, email me at krissi_chan@yahoo.com You would also get the chapter before anyone else ~.^ 

And I would like to say thank you to **Usa-chan Sailor Ronin** for pre-reading this chapter for me^^ Arigato Usa-imouto-chan!! *glomps*

Thoughts are _'italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are _'italicized' _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

****

Chapter 10 - Bickering and Uneasiness

Usagi's eyes fluttered open and she groaned painfully at the dull pain that thudded through her shoulder. She felt something warm sitting or perhaps lying on her chest that was rhythmically licking her face with an occasional quiet mew. Usagi stared up into a pair of slitted eyes for several moments before she was able to place such a strange looking pair of eyes. Furry cheeks, slitted golden eyes, black markings, and two pointed, fuzzy ears.

"Kirara?" She questioned as the new name rolled off her tongue. The cat was sitting on her chest and seemed to be trying to catch Usagi's attention or something along those lines. "What's wrong, Kirara?" Usagi asked as the cat mewed a little more loudly and jumped onto her nightstand. Usagi sat up slowly, wincing as shots of pain were sent down her arm. Her gaze fell on her nightstand and the ticking object sitting in front of Kirara. The cat mewed once more and put her paw on top of the alarm clock and it buzzed loudly since the cat had hit the alarm button on the top. "Ahh!! Why didn't anyone wake me up?!" Her shriek sounded over the obnoxious beeping throughout the house and echoing through the relative quiet of the house.

"What's wrong, onna?!" A voice growled from the doorway. Usagi's head spun around in the direction of the voice and another loud scream pierced the quiet.

"Osuwari!! You pervert!!! Osuwari!!!" She shrieked as she reached for the discarded purple kimono from the back of the chair. She wrapped it around herself and pulled it tightly to her body. The 'osuwaris' were puntuated by two loud crashes and a string of rather colorful curses. "How dare you coming into a girl's room without knocking!! Hentai!! Ecchi!!"

"You seem to be feeling better today, wench." Inuyasha said dryly as he picked up his head from the floor and leaned it against his arm.

"You peeping tome!! How dare you?!?" The rant continued unbroken by his sarcastic remark.

"Why the hell would I want to peep on you, human?!?" Inuyasha growled as he stood up and slowly advanced on her. Her voice was making his headache start to come back at an alarming rate. Not to mention the 'sit' command she had used moments before.

"Osuwari!" Usagi yelled at the top of her lungs as she saw him headed toward her. Inuyasha crashed to the ground again and very slowly pulled his face out of the carpet. He appeared to have carpet burn on his face from the three 'sit' commands. "I'm already so late! Get out so I can get ready!!" She ordered as she pointed to the door.

"Would you shuttup for one minute so I can talk?!?" Inuyasha roared above the sound of her voice. "Your mother went to the store, she said for you to miss that skool thing." Inuyasha growled before he turned his back to her and crossed his arms over his chest. He smirked to himself in triumph because he had finally gotten the noisy female to stop her incessant yelling. He glanced back a few moments later when she didn't make a sound and instantly knew his mistake. Her cheeks had turned exceptionally red and her eyes were rimmed with water.

"You didn't have to yell at me." Usagi said quietly as her lower lip quivered and the tears threatened to spill down her cheeks at any moment.

"I - I didn't mean to!" Inuyasha said as he held his hands in front of him defensively. "Stop crying!!" He growled in annoyance as the dam broke and her wails reached a new record in the decibals.

****

"Eh? What's this weird box thing?" Inuyasha asked as Usagi flopped down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Usagi smiled and grabbed the remote off the coffee table before she clicked the power button. Inuyasha jumped back with a growl in the back of his throat. He slowly approached the 'box' again and gingerly touched the screen with one finger. He pulled his hand back quickly as a small spark leapt from the screen and shocked his finger. "Oi, how did those people get in there?" Inuyasha questioned as he reached out to touch the screen again.

"That's a television," Usagi explained as a small smirk crossed her lips and a plan formed in her head. She was going to get him back for barging into her room when she was changing earlier. "Those poor people…" Usagi said slowly and shook her head slowly. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"How'd they get in that phelefisin?" Inuyasha asked as his confused looked slowly turned nervous.

"Well…" She paused for effect before continuing slowly. "Those people were captured in that box because they broke the lay or because they were perverts." Usagi said with as much seriousness as she could muster. Inuyasha raised his eyebrows doubtfully. If that were really true, that priest would have been pulled in a long time ago. "It's true, Inuyasha." Usagi said as she flipped to a different channel. "Look." She said as she pointed to the new picture on the screen where uniformed men were putting metal bracelets on rather unkempt people.

"Bad boy, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys, bad boys.." The music blared in the background as the officers wrestled a heavy-set man to the ground with great difficulty.

"You're a really bad liar." Inuyasha said dryly and frowned at the telelvision.

"I'll guess you'll just have to find out the hard way." Usagi said with an exasperated sigh. She reached into her bowl of popcorn and tossed a few pieces into her mouth. "Anyway, I'm going to get a bath. I still have blood all over me." She said as she wrinkled her nose. She stood up and set the bowl on the coffee table and headed down the hallway toward the stairs. She paused and turned back to Inuyasha. "And if you peep on me, I'll sit you so hard that you won't be able to walk around for a month!" Usagi growled as she glared back at Inuyasha. All she could see from where she stood was his arms flaring around as he tried to stand back up. _'Huh? I guess the command works even if I'm just telling him to sit down…'_ Usagi thought as a thoughtful look crossed her face.

"Keh!" Was the response she got and a low groan that she wasn't meant to hear before she headed upstairs to take her bath. It was very seldom that Kagome's mom let her, Kagome, or Souta miss school, but to let her sleep right through it! That was something completely new to her.

****

"Why couldn't I stay home too?" Moaned Kagome as she dropped her head onto her desk. "I can't concentrate on this stuff right now." She whined.

"You need to keep up with your studies, Kagome-sama." Miroku said from his seat behind her. It was almost halfway through the day and it seemed to just drag on and on. At least when lunch came they could go outside and possibly rid themselves of some of their nervousness. Oh boy had they been nervous… For starters, they had the Shikon no Tama in a public high school that any youkai could attack and annihilate with extraordinary ease. They had left Usagi, Kagome's mom, and Kagome's grandfather with a dangerous demon that had kidnapped Usagi, threatened to kill her, taken her to his boss, and also nearly killed a famous idol in the middle of a concert! Even with Shippo and Kirara there, it was a big chance to take, although since the demon's thought Inuyasha was dead, he probably wasn't ready to give away his cover by leaving the barrier that surrounded the shrine.

"Try not to let it get to you, Kagome-chan." Sango said reassuringly from the seat to Kagome's right. Usagi normally sat to the left of Kagome with Seiya behind her, but both seats were empty that day. Undoubtedly, Seiya was still in the hospital for the wound Inuyasha had given him at the concert. "Usagi-chan will be able to keep Inuyasha under control. She has that 'sit' command, remember? Besides, no matter who he is, I don't think he'd hurt your mom. I mean, she's treated him like a treasured guest." Sango said as a small sweatdrop slid down her face. Kagome nodded and a small smile touched her lips.

"Arigato, Sango-chan." Kagome said as her smile grew and some of the butterflies in her stomach escaped. She still felt nervous and a little light-headed, but one of her worries had been lifted by that simple comment from Sango. _'I'm glad I met Sango-chan. She's a very good friend.'_ Kagome thought to herself as she picked her head up from her desk and turned to the front. Luckily they had a small self-study period before lunch so they wouldn't get in trouble for talking to each other.

__

RING! The bell for lunch rang and the whole class cleared out in a matter of seconds. Kagome, Sango, and Miroku were, of course, the last ones out of the room. They didn't want to be run over by the people running to buy their lunch. Besides, they didn't need to, Kagome's mother had made them all their own lunch and her food was always good.

"Yatta! It's lunch time!!" Kagome cried as she jumped up and headed for the door. "Come on, we have to hurry if we want to find a place in the shade!" Kagome cried as she took off out the door with Sango and Miroku following. Kagome and company exited the school and headed for the same tree they had sat under a few days prior. In actuality, it had only been two days since they had sat under this tree with Seiya and Usagi. That had been the day Inuyasha and that wolf demon, Kouga, had attacked them. That had also been the day that they had gone to the concert.

"This is really good, Kagome-chan. Your mom is a really good cook." Sango said as she ate from the dish her lunch was in. Kagome's mom knew now why Sango and Miroku were staying with them since they had been forced to tell her what was happening the night before. Grandpa had been a little upset to hear that Miroku hadn't come to help out with the shrine, but Miroku still helped him here and there when he wasn't protecting Kagome. Luckily those scrolls Kaede had given Kagome were so strong or the youkai would be attacking them day and night.

"Ne, what did you guys think of Kouga?" Kagome asked as she munched on her lunch thoughtfully. She glanced over at them and neither of them was eating; they were just staring at her.

"He's a youkai, Kagome-sama." Miroku said slowly as a frown crossed his face. "You reallly shouldn't take him seriously, it's in his nature to kill humans."

"Demo, he saved me from Kagura yesterday." Kagome said slowly as she set her chopsticks in her dish.

"Love isn't something that demons feel the same as humans, Kagome-chan." Sango said as she set her empty dish on the ground. "Even if he says one thing, his instincts are to kill."

"I think you guys are wrong." Kagome said as a small smile touched her lips. "While I was with him, he seemed almost nice. When he wasn't being a big jerk, that is." She added as she frowned in annoyance.

"Aww, that's so sweet you feel that way about me, Kagome." An arrogant voice broke through the air. Kagome turned to see they pony-tailed wolf demon walking casually across the grass. There was two other wolf demons with him that she recognized as Hakkai and Ginta.

"Hello, oneesan!" Hakkai called as he waved to Kagome.

"Don't come any closer, demon!" Sango growled as she jumped in front of Kagome protectively.

"Don't worry, taijiya. I'm not here for the Shikon no Tama. I'm here for my mate." Kouga said nonchalantly as he stepped past Sango and headed toward Kagome. A light blush touched Kagome's cheeks when he called her his mate, but quickly turned to anger as she realized what he was saying.

"Baka! I don't know what I saw in you!! You're just an arrogant jerk." Kagome said as she narrowed her eyes on him angrily. "I'm not your mate! Leave me alone, I want to eat my lunch with my friends." Kagome said as she turned her back on him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Kagome," Kouga said as he walked in front of her and grasped both of her hands in his bigger ones. "Come with me, I'll make you the happiest bride ever."

"Eh? C.. ch… chotte matte!" Kagome said as she tried to pull her hands from his. She blushed as she saw the serious look on his face. "For starters I'm only fifteen years old and for another thing, I don't even know you!" Kagome said as she pulled her hands from his. "Besides, your friends have been trying to kill Usagi-chan!"

"Heh! That mutt?! My friend? That's a good one, hime." Kouga said with a smirk. "His scent makes me sick to my stomach! Speaking of which, why do you reek of dog?!" Kouga demanded as his easy-going expression turned to one of disgust.

"Eh? Ah, that is…" Kagome said as she laughed nervously.

"Kagura said he was died, fell into a barrier that purified his ass." Kouga said with a slight smirk.

"Aa, he did fall through a barrier." Kagome said slowly as a sweatdrop slid down her face. She didn't tell him that he was still alive and was a human at her house, though.

"Hmm…" Kouga seemed to be thinking to himself about something. "I'll come get you later, then. Ja na!" He called behind him as he and his two buddies ran and jumped out over the school's fence.

"Bai, oneesan!" Ginta called over his shoulder.

****

"Is this the place, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jyaken asked as they approached some broken down rocks that had a few seals placed on them. Jyaken took a few steps forward as he clutched the staff of heads in his right hand.

"Aa, hurry up." Sesshoumaru ordered as his eyes narrowed slightly. _'Fang… I want the Fang.'_ He thought to himself. "If I have the Fang, I can transform myself to be a stronger self." While he spoke, Jyaken was scurrying up on some of the stones to check and see if it was truly Sesshoumaru's father's grave.

"Why can I not feel satisfied with my own strength…?" He mused aloud as he heard a low growl from within the stones. He glanced up and saw a pack of wolves emerging from within the stones. His eyes narrowed instantly as he called forth the whip from his poison claw. "…how childish of me." He cracked the whip menacingly as the wolves surrounded him, snarling and snapping angrily. Sesshoumaru raised the whip and struck the nearest wolf, sending him flying ten feet in the air. "I don't have time for you weaklings." He growled as he began to spin around. His whip flew around with him and seemed to surround his body, sending any wolf who drew too close flying across the field and fleeing for their life.

"I'll take care of them, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jyaken called as he turned back toward the wolves and drove the end of the staff into the stone. The old man's mouth opened and fire poured out and bathed the wolves in its orange glow. After this introduction of fire, the wolves turned tail and ran from the place they stood.

"Is it just my anxiety?" Sesshoumaru asked himself as he watched the wolves run. "No, this is simply my endless desire… The blind hunger for more…" He stopped and narrowed his eyes slightly. He hated feeling inadequate. He wasn't weak, but why did he feel that he wasn't strong enough? "…more power. The Fang, I want the Fang!" He continued as a small smirk spread across his face. "Jyaken! Get on with it!" He ordered as he turned his attention back to the green demon.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jyaken yelped as he turned back to the stones and brought the end of the staff down against the cold stone. He waited for a moment to see what would happen. If the old man laughed, this was the grave… but if the woman screamed…

__

Ahh!! The shrill scream of the woman's head ripped through the quiet of the valley. Jyaken stumbled backward with a look of shock on his face. Sesshoumaru would be angry that he had failed again. _'I won't fail again, Sesshoumaru-sama!'_ Jyaken thought to himself as he hopped down from the stone grave. "Ah, ah Sesshoumaru-sama! The staff is pointing to the south! Your father's grave seems to be moving!" Jyaken said as the staff pulled from his hands and floated above the ground a few feet away.

"Hmm… If you fail me again, Jyaken. I'll kill you." Sesshoumaru said as he looked down at the green demon who followed him everywhere he went.

"Aah, dangerous, dangerous. Who were they really?" An old voice mused as the wolves ran from their post around the grave. "Hurry up! We have to deliver this incident as soon as possible…" The voice said as it urged the wolves to pick up the pace. "… to Inuyasha-sama!"

****

"Did you find any leads on the princess?" A girl with raven-black haired asked. There was no one else in the room except for an ordinary black cat. The only defining feature about the cat was a bald spot on her forehead in the shape of a crescent moon, and there was a look of deep intelligence in the cat's eyes. The girl stared at this odd cat as if she were expecting an answer.

"I'm sorry, Rei-chan. We still have no leads on the princess we're searching for." A small voice came as the cat opened her mouth and hung her head. If anyone else had heard the animal speak, they would have undoubtedly earned their own room complete with padded walls. Rei was used to the feline, though. The cat, Luna, had been with her for over two years as it were. In the time they had been together, they had been through many hardships. There were others, of course. The famous Sailor Senshi knew of the cat's unique gift and were at Rei's side at all times. After all, Rei was a Sailor Senshi as well. Sailor Mars to be precise. Even after all of the enemies and monsters they had faced, they were no closer to finding their princess than they had been when the cat first appeared and the Senshi started to gather to one location.

"What about those monsters that keep popping up? Do you know a way to defeat them?" Rei asked as her gaze fell once again onto the feline. "Our attacks don't seem to have much affect on them." She continued as a small smile graced her lips. Those who were close to her would have noticed the injuries she had been receiving over the years. Normally she would place the blame on her judo classes, but because of the strength of this new enemy she and the rest of the Senshi were turning up with more wounds than usual. Not only that, but the wounds were much more severe than they had received yet before.

"It's hard to be certain," Luna said as a frown crossed her furry face. "They seem to be demons out of legend. There doesn't seem to be a common species, motive, or any link between them."

"Hmm…" Rei was deep in thought about the tactics of these enemies when a loud yell broke the silence of the room.

"I'm here, Rei-chan!" The bouncing blonde bound into the room followed by a brunette holding what appeared to be a cook book, and a sensible-looking blue-haired girl carrying a book that read _'Advanced Quantum Physics'_.

"Sorry we're late," Ami said as a slightly blush touched her cheeks. "Minako-chan insisted that we go play that new Sailor V game at the Crown Arcade."

"You can play any of the Senshi with this game!" Minako piped up as a huge smile crossed her lips. "Naturally I used Sailor V anyway, though."

"Don't you have anything better to do, Minako-chan?" Rei asked as an irritated look crossed her face. "You're supposed to be out leader, shouldn't you be trying to find out princess?"

"Hai, hai. I'm working on that Rei-chan." Minako said nonchalantly as she waved her hand in Rei's direction. "This game is **so** much better than the other Sailor V games though! You can even call the rest of the senshi and do joint attacks!"

"Minako-chan… you're hopeless…" A male voice said as a white cat walked through the open door and hung his head in shame. His charge hadn't seemed to change in the whole time she had been a senshi. She was still the bubbly, video game loving, idol wanna-be out there. Even though she had to fight as a senshi, she still hadn't given up on her dream of being a famous idol and singing in front of millions of people. She even had an audition the following month to become a real idol. Artemis walked into the room and sat down next to Luna while he shook his head from side to side. In all the years, she was still the same old Minako.

"What about those people that were fighting that monster a few days ago? Do you think they would know anything about the demons?" Makoto said as she sat down at the table next to Rei. "I mean, two of them seemed to have some fighting skills. And what about that blond girl, she healed Higurashi-san. Do you think maybe she has the Ginzuishou?"

"That may be possible, she had a distinct silver glow around her when she healed her friend." Ami said as she started to input some data into her hand-held computer.

"Does that mean that she's our princess?" Minako questioned as she helped herself to the cookies Makoto had pulled out of her bag and set it on the table.

"Yeah right." Rei said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "That girl is such a cry baby. There's no way she's the princess we're looking for."

"But what about the evidence?" Ami said as she pushed a few more buttons and hit the enter button. "She was able to heal Higurashi-san's wounds. Then there's the fact that those demons seem to be after her for some reason. Don't forget that she was the one that was kidnapped from the Three Lights concert by that silver-haired boy we saw a few days ago."

"It has to be a coincidence. There's no way that girl is a princess." Rei said adamantly as she frowned deeply. She had seen that girl several times before and each time she had been whining about something or crying about something. It was easy to tell who that girl was because of that obnoxious scream of hers and that childish hairstyle she always wore. _And we failed to save her family…_ Rei thought vaguely as her eyes softened. _They were killed because we couldn't protect them… They were the only ones we've failed so far… Them and our princess who remains lost to us…_Rei's eyes grew sad as she remembered seeing the broken girl crying and screaming over her family. She had arrived five minutes too late…

"What's wrong, Rei-chan?" Makoto asked as she put a comforting hand on the shrine miko's shoulder. Rei snapped out of her musing instantly and looked up at her friend with a small smile.

"I was just… thinking…" Rei trailed off as her eyes took on that same sad, forlorn look.

"It's going to take a while for this information to process. Maybe we should do some studying until it's done." Ami said as her soft voice broke through the quiet of the room. They could tell from the look on Rei's face that she was remembering what had happened to that girl's family. The memory was all too vivid in their minds as well… It had been a year since that fateful day when they had failed to protect innocent lives. That girl's tear-filled eyes had stuck in their minds and no one had been able to get that soul-shattering sob that had erupted from that girl's mouth from their minds.

"Those two people that were fighting are going to our school now," Minako started as she nibbled on one of the cookies dully. "They're always with Higurashi-san these days. They say that they're exchange students but I'm not too sure. That guy is too old to be in high school… and he's always groping the girls that sit close to him." Minako finished as a sweatdrop slid down her face.

"He… gropes people?" Rei asked slowly as her eye twitched. She knew that he asked the girls to bear his child, but she hadn't heard the part about him groping people. _'I wish I were in a different class than that pervert…'_ She thought to herself as her eyebrow continued to twitch.

****

"Why the hell did you need me to go with you, wench?" Inuyasha demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was wearing a baseball cap to cover his fuzzy ears and looked more pissed off than usual.

" Mou... how many times to I have to tell you my name is Usagi! What if that miko sends more youkai after me?" Usagi asked as she pouted slightly. She was more afraid of that Naraku than she had ever been afraid of Inuyasha. Besides, Inuyasha seemed to be a lot different now that they knew he was a hanyou. Not only that, he was a cutie.

"Keh! Like I'm going to protect your weak ass." Inuyasha growled as he crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance.

"You're so mean, Inuyasha-kun..." Usagi whined as she pouted to herself.

"kun?" He questioned as he raised an eyebrow in her direction. If she knew how old he was, there was no way that she'd be calling him _'kun'_. "I'm not some little kid, baka..."

"Is that all you ever do?" Usagi questioned as an angry look crossed her face. "Why do you always have to call me names?"

"Don't question me, human." Inuyasha barked as he narrowed his eyes on her.

"I seem to remember someone else was a human earlier today, baka!" Usagi barked right back as she glared at the taller boy. Inuyasha didn't say anything to this. He glared darkly at her and had the sudden urge to strangle her. How dare she mention the fact that he was a hanyou! That had been a really low blow to him. Then again, he had been asking for it with all of the nasty things he had been saying to her. "Now... let's see... Where is the hospital Seiya-kun is at?"

"Why do you want to go see that loser anyway?" Inuyasha asked in a gruff tone. For some reason he didn't like the dark-haired idol as much as he didn't like that wimpy wolf. It was grating on his nerves that this human wanted to go see the idol in the hospital.

"He's hurt because of you. The least you can do is apologize to him." Usagi said as she gripped the card in her hand tighter. "Before we do that, I want to stop and get some flowers as a get well present."

"You really expect me to apologize to that jerk?" Inuyasha demanded angrily. "Screw that!" Inuyasha growled low in his throat and jumped into the air and over the tall, stone wall they had been walking next to.

"Inuyasha!" Usagi called loudly as he disappeared behind the wall. "Geez... he's such a jerk!" She frowned and turned back to her path along the sidewalk and fumed in anger.

"Watch it, odango atama!" A masculine voice said as Usagi ran into something hard. She fell backward onto the ground and looked up to see a dark-haired man wearing a green blazer and the biggest sunglasses she'd ever seen.

"Gomen nasai!" Usagi said as she quickly stood and bowed. "I didn't see you." She continued politely.

"You know you're supposed to look forward when you walk. I don't think your head needs to be scrambled anymore than it already has." He said rudely as he walked away. Usagi's face turned red with anger and she turned around and stuck her tongue out at his back.

"What is it with these people," Usagi thought to herself as she crossed her good arm over her chest and quietly fumed. "Am I destined to meet every jerk in Tokyo in one day?" Her wound still hadn't healed, but it didn't seem to hurt as badly as it had the previous day. When Kagome's mom came home from the store, she re-dressed the wound and put some Neosporin on it so it was feeling much better. Of course she still wore her right arm in a sling to reduce the amount of pain when she moved her shoulder and arm.

"You're coming with me, human." A deep voice said close to her ear. Usagi spun around quickly and cried out in surprise as she saw a set of glowing golden eyes. They resembled Inuyasha's except they were cold and uncaring.

"Nani?! Who are you?! What do you want?!" Usagi demanded as she took a step back from the strangely dressed man. She recognized him as the man that had nearly killed Kagome a few days earlier and immediately fear began to course through her veins.

"Where is Inuyasha?" He asked slowly as he narrowed his golden eyes on her.

"Eh? I don't know. He left a few minutes ago." Usagi explained as she took a few more steps back from the tall youkai. She could feel a great amount of power radiate off of him and it sent chills down her spine.

"Hmm..." He seemed to be thinking to himself as he watched the girl's every move. In the blink of an eye he grabbed Usagi and flung her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!!" Usagi shrieked, as she felt something soft and fluffy surround her. She was drowning in what appeared to be fur and wasn't even able to speak. When she did try to speak, it was muffled in the furry thing that was surrounding her and pinning her arms to her sides.

"Come on, Jyaken." His cold voice said as he turned to the green youkai standing beside him.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jyaken said as he stepped over toward the tall youkai. A cloud started to form around the Lord of the West and lifted him and the green toad-like youkai off the ground.

"Come on Kirara..." A voice whispered as the dog youkai floated up into the air and disappeared above the clouds. In a puff of pink smoke, the nearest bush turned into the young kitsune and a two-tailed cat stepped out from behind him and transformed in a flurry of fire. "This is bad news! That was Sesshoumaru! I can't take him on alone. We're going to have to find the others fast." Kirara nodded and growled low in her throat before she bent low to let Shippo climb on.

****

Usagi was suffocating in fur... it was a strange situation... she never knew that she'd die inside of a large fuzzy jacket. From what she could tell, the _'fur'_ was a light gray color and was actually very soft, but from the position she was in, she couldn't really enjoy that now. She just wished she was as far away from it as possible. She knew that it only wrapped around her face and arms because she was freezing from the waist down. It also felt as if she were in water or something because she felt something sloshing around in her shoes.

"Lmmmee gooo!" She cried as loud as she could into the stifling warmth that surrounded her. She pushed with her arms with all her might but they just sunk into the squishy substance. When she least expected it, the furry muffler released her. When a sickening splash, she landed on her rear in a pool full of water. It came up to her shoulders from her sitting position on the floor and she shivered involuntarily at the frigid cold of the water. That wasn't the only thing; the smell of the dark water was making her feel sick to her stomach. "Eww! What did you do that for, you jerk?!" Usagi demanded as she stood up and tried to wring the water out of her shirt. The water was above her knees and sloshing around slightly from her movements. _'Eh? Why is this guy wearing white in a place like this?'_ She silently wondered as she looked up at him. "You know you probably just ruined your outfit, don't you?" Usagi asked in slight surprise at her own boldness.

"Don't speak to Sesshoumaru-sama with so little respect, human!" Another voice croaked. From the sound of the voice and the area it was coming from, Usagi concluded that it wasn't the tall youkai.

"Nande? Is someone there?" She questioned as she started to look for the source of the other voice. The tall youkai still hadn't said a word to her, he just stood there glaring at her as if he were trying to figure something out about her.

"I'm right here! Are you blind, human?!" Jyaken demanded as he jumped up and down in front of the human girl. Her eyes slowly fell on him and she took a step back in surprise.

"Eh?" She questioned in slight surprise as she saw a little green man standing in front of her. "Are you a Martian?" She asked as she took a step forward and pinched his cheek. "Not a very cute Martian. I thought they'd be taller with big eyes."

"I'm not a Martian! I'm a youkai!" He growled as he jumped up and down.

"You don't look like the other youkai I've seen." Usagi said as she reached down and poked the green guy's face lightly.

"I am not a Martian!!" Jyaken yelled in anger as he brought down his staff on her head like a club. At this sudden pain in her head, Usagi broke into full-blown wails as she held her head. She was once again up to her shoulders in water as she sobbed and held her head with one hand.

"That was mean!" She sobbed as she held onto her head.

"Stop crying, human." A deep voice said. Usagi glanced up to see Sesshoumaru standing above her. He seemed amused by something as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her roughly to her feet. "Itai! That hurt, baka!" She said as she pulled her arm from his grip.

"I would advise you to speak to me with a little more respect, human." He growled as he grabbed her right arm and wrenched it behind her back. Usagi cried out in pain and winced as her wound was brought painfully back to her attention. She had all but forgotten about it until he had done that.

"Maybe I'll do that if you treat me the same, _Sesshoumaru-sama_." Usagi said dramatically as she tried to free herself from his grip. It was no easy feat, though because he felt no need to release her.

"I'll ask you one more time. Where is Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked as he released Usagi and spun her around to face him. He had a hand on either of her shoulders and was squeezing them painfully. He could smell her blood and glanced down at his left hand. He knew he hadn't been squeezing her hard enough to break the skin so why was his hand stained? The scent of the blood caught him by surprise. She didn't smell like a human at all... he wasn't sure what she smelled like, but it was unlike anything he'd come across before. He narrowed his eyes and turned from his hand to stare her in the face. "What the hell are you?" He growled in annoyance. He had never before come across something as strange as this. She didn't smell like a human, but she didn't smell like a youkai either... Hell, she didn't even smell like that worthless hanyou, Inuyasha.

"What are you talking about? You've been calling me human since you kidnapped me, jerk!" Usagi cried as she tried to twist her good shoulder from his grip. This guy seemed really weird... He had seemed cold and collective one minute amused another, and now his eyes had gone steely cold but slightly wild. _'Is he really as emotionless as he's trying to show me?'_ Usagi silently wondered as she stared straight back into those wild eyes. He looked like a beast as he demanded an answer from her. That was the only thing that reminded her that he was a monstrous demon that was probably going to kill her the first chance he had.

"You don't have the scent of a mere human. What are you?!" He demanded more forcefully this time. She winced as his claws dug into her flesh and forced her tears not to fall.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Usagi cried out as tears began to collect in her eyes. As strong as she wanted to be, she couldn't hold the tears back much longer. She was in pain, but not only that, she hated when people yelled at her. She was a very emotional person and because of that she had earned the nickname of _'cry baby'_ in school. Sesshoumaru glared at her darkly as he seemed to be thinking something to himself.

"…." His eyes burned darkly into hers as he tried to decide if she was being truthful or it if she was acting. From the pained expression he saw in her eyes he assumed that she was really clueless to why she didn't smell like a human. The weird part about it, though, was that she smelled like a normal human until he caught the scent of her blood. "Hmm…" She was something strange. _'I'm going to have to keep an eye on her until I can figure out what she is…'_ He thought as he stared straight into her eyes. She seemed uneasy as she shifted from foot to foot and tried to get loose from his firm grip. "Very well, I'll attend to you later. After I kill Inuyasha and find the Fang." Sesshoumaru said to her even though the second part was more to himself than to her.

****

"Where do you think Usagi is?" Kagome asked as they stood outside of Seiya's door. "She said that Inuyasha was going to walk her here. Do you think he's still out to kill her?"

"Don't worry, Kagome-sama. You said yourself that Usagi-sama could use the power she has over him if she wanted to." Miroku said simply as he frowned. He didn't like seeing this many girls outside the door of a pop star. 'Why don't this many girls come to see me when I'm hurt?' He wondered inwardly as he frowned slightly. It seemed he had gained himself a reputation because whenever he came near, the girls would step back and talk amongst themselves just loud enough for him the hear the words 'pervert' and 'old guy'.

"That's true." Kagome said as she sighed and tried to push past a group of girls that were completely blocking off the hallway. "Excuse me!" Kagome said loudly to get their attention. They glared back at her then turned back to their conversation as if they had not been interrupted at all. "If I would have known so many people were going to visit Seiya, I wouldn't have come here. I would have just seen him when he came back to school."

"I don't think we're going to find Usagi-chan in this mess." Sango said as she craned her neck over the heads of the girls to look for the blond odangos the girl had been wearing recently. "I don't see her anywhere." Sango said when she saw no sign of the golden blonde.

"What are you people doing here?" A voice asked slowly. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome turned around to see two young men, one with long brown hair and the other with long blondish-white hair. "You're the reason Seiya-kun is in this state. Why don't you just leave?" Taiki continued as his eyes narrowed on the group of three.

"Huh?" Kagome said as her eyes widened in shock.

"Don't think we didn't recognize you," Yaten said as he pointed to Sango and narrowed his eyes. "And also that blonde girl Seiya was hanging around the other day."

"How can you blame this on Sango-chan?" Kagome asked in outrage as she frowned deeply. "Sango was trying to save Usagi-chan from that monster! It's not her fault Seiya-san tried to protect Usagi-chan!"

"It's their fault that Seiya was put in that position!" Yaten nearly yelled back. The other girls in the hallway had quieted down and were all listening intently to the accusations Yaten and Taiki were thrusting again the trio.

"Usagi-sama didn't ask that idol to pull her up on stage." Miroku said as he took a step in front of Kagome. He wasn't about to let these jerks mess with the two girls that were with him. They seemed to be the only ones that didn't run away or whisper when he drew close to them.

"Just stay away from Seiya." Taiki ordered as he snatched the flowers from Sango's hands and flung them to the ground. He brought his heel down on the white blossoms and ground them into the floor. "He doesn't need to be involved with those things."

****

::Fin::

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January 20, 2004

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Hime: princess (I know Kouga doesn't call her this in the anime, but I wanted a nickname for him to use *shrugs* besides, he's the prince of his pack^^)  
**chotte matte**: Wait, wait up (did I spell 'chotte' right? *forgets*)

Note: Sesshoumaru's little speeches in this chapter are from fansubs so if they sound a little funny, it's probably just a bad translation, sorry about that^^;

Gomen to leave off right there^^; It was kind of a mean place to leave off, ne? Well, I'm at page 100^^ Here's another 10 page chapter for ya *grins* I hope you liked it, let me know whatcha think k? My email is krissi_chan@yahoo.com or just leave a review^^ Also like I said at the beginning of the chapter, I'm looking for a beta-reader to catch all of my silly grammar/spelling/word usage mistakes (and my switching of tenses if possible). Some experience with beta-ing would be nice, but just email me if you are interested^^ You'd get the chapter before any one else ~.^ (well, along with my pre-reader, Usa-chan Sailor Ronin, that is). Well, I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible^^ I still have LOTS of stuff I need to have happen and I dunno how I'm gonna fit it all . I'm still not sure if I'm going to have her become Sailor Moon (we'll say when I get further) and I may decide to have the jewel shattered but I dunno yet *sweatdrop* Everything is still in production^^ Gotta go, hope you liked it! Ja ne!


	12. Chapter 11 Noble Mark

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Uragirimono

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

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LunarPrincess: *grins and blushes* Arigato! I love writing this story *beams* I still have SOOO much left to go too! It's so hard to keep all the different plots straight though . I'm gonna have to start storyboarding like Usa-chan… I'm not going to tell you if there will be a love triangle *grins* It seems there are a bunch of people interested in Usa, though. *points to Seiya and Souta-kun!* I'm glad I keep you on the edge of your seat *beams* That's what I've been trying to do, hope you like this chapter.  
**Angel-Goddess**: Yatta! Another long review *beams* I LOVE long reviews *dances around the room* Some of my stories aren't as addicting as this one it seems^^; I mean, this one is already over 100 pages and still going VERY strong *beams and bounces* Heh, I'm 20, work a part time job and go to school full time . It's such a pain… it's really been cutting into my writing time *cries* My college is HUGE (I go to Kent State University, there's 30,000 students at the main campus) so there are also smaller branches of the school in different towns. The branch I'm attending (about an hour drive from the main campus in Kent) doesn't have Japanese, only the main branch does *cries* I've been trying REALLY hard to keep ppl in character… seems I failed a little bit with Taiki at the end of the last chapter though. *sweatdrop* Oh well *shrugs* Hehe, I won't tell if Fluffy-kun is gonna fall for Usa, that's a secret right now. *giggles* I'll probably update the SM/FMwS ficcy next ~.^ since you requested it *grins* Arigato for the long reviews! *glomps* They're so fun to read^^ Hmm… I dunno… I used to know what PS stood for, but I forget ^^;  
**Serenity Komoshiro**: Glad you like^^ Here's an update!  
**Sailor Ronin Usa-chan**: *giggles* S'all right imouto-chan^^ I mostly just need a beta-reading to pick up my silly mistakes^^; (if I read through the chapter before I posted, I'd prolly catch most of em *sweatdrops* Too lazy though… ^^; ). *grins* I had to play with some of the technological stuff since Inuyasha doesn't really know what any of it is *giggles* Maybe I'll throw a radio in at some point^^ Or a computer! That would be interesting, hehe^^; I'm a dork *sweatdrop* Thanks for trading fics with me^^ Makes me want to write more for some reason *giggles* I guess it's just that I'm sharing it with someone and getting feedback and ideas and stuff so ARIGATO!! *SUPER glomps imouto-chan*  
**Usagi Asia Maxwell**: *bounces* Yatta! You think it's original? That's what I was going for *bounces around the room* If you didn't notice, I'm a little hyper from the awesome reviews I've been getting^^ I try to make the updates long so I don't have to update as much^^ As it is, the story is over 100 pages now^^; Tell me whatcha think of this chappie, ne?  
**midlight bunny**: *giggles* That was one of my favorite parts of the chapter too^^ I thought it was kinda a neat idea, a sea of fur *laughs some more* Thanx for your reviews^^ You've been reviewing it consistently so I thank you! *gives you plate of cookies*

Of course I have to thank **Sailor Ronin Usa-chan** for pre-reading this chapter for me and keeping me inspired through trading of fanfics^^ I hope it's helping to inspire you as well ~.^ You're awesome Usa-chan! *huggle-glomps*

Also, I'm still looking for a **beta-reader** to edit this story and my story "**A New Star in the Sky**". If you're interested in doing that, email me at krissi_chan@yahoo.com. One of my biggest problems is shifted between different tenses just so you know and I always have little typos that I miss when I'm half-way re-read it (I kind of just skim the chapters before I post them^^; ). And you would get the chapter earlier than anyone else too ~.^ Without further ado, onto the story!

Thoughts are _'italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are _'italicized' _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
**** Change of scene, time, etc…

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Chapter 11 - Noble Mark

"Have you located the rogue youkai yet?" A deep voice asked as Kagura bowed before the shadowed figure.

"There has been no sign of them, Naraku." Kagura said as she remained bowed. Ever since the disappearance of the two dog youkai, many more youkai had take it upon themselves to follow suit. Naraku assumed that they were building up their strength so they could use it against him and get the Shikon no Tama for themselves. He didn't expect them to be so hard to find, though. And from what Kagura told him, it seemed that Inuyasha was truly dead. That was good news to Naraku, though. Kikyo was too attached to that mutt for Naraku's liking. Whenever he was around, his scent would cling in Kikyo's clothes and hair, which was enough to turn his stomach.

"Find them or it will be your head." Naraku said coldly as he glared at the red-eyed detachment before him. He knew that she was not truly loyal to him, but it didn't matter. She was merely a tool that he would not miss when it lost its use. She had her strengths in battle and she was still useful to him in a few ways. She controlled the wind expertly and no human or youkai had been able to take her out. _'She won't be useful for too much longer…'_ He mused to himself as a sly smile spread across his face.

__

'That bastard…' Kagura thought bitterly as she rose to her feet and turned away from the taller youkai. _'He always uses me to do his dirty work.'_ She thought angrily as she frowned deeply. _'I have to find a way to get free. Who would be strong enough to kill Naraku, though?'_ Kagura walked toward the throne room exit with a deep frown on her face. There was no one strong enough to kill Naraku that she could think of off the top of her head.

"Kagura." A quiet voice said before Kagura left the throne room. She paused and glanced down at Kanna who had spoken. "I will help you with your mission." She said in her raspy, childish voice.

"Heh… So Naraku is sending you to spy on me, ne?" Kagura asked as a bitter smile crossed her lips. She turned away from the child and pushed open the arched doors and began to walk down the long, dark hallway beyond.

"I don't want you to die." Kanna said as she followed her sister through the doorway. Kagura glanced down at the white-haired girl and raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Oh?" Kagura questioned as she turned her red-eyed gaze back to her path. "Why is that, Kanna?" Kagura asked as she frowned skeptically.

"Because you're my sister." Kanna explained in her quiet voice.

"Suit yourself, chibi." Kagura said nonchalantly as she shrugged her shoulders. If the kid wanted to come along, it was fine with her. As long as the little brat didn't rat her out to Naraku if something happened. At this point if she didn't fulfill her mission, Naraku was going to kill her anyway so it didn't matter much if the brat ratted on her any more.

**** 

"Stupid human girl!" Inuyasha growled as he stomped his way along the sidewalk. He left that human girl on the street and was following her scent in an alleyway behind. "Does she think I'm her pet or something?!" He growled angrily as he slammed his fist into the wall on his left. It left a huge dent in the wall and he growled in annoyance as he felt a dull pain thudding in his hand. He paused when he caught a familiar scent. "Sesshoumaru…" He said quietly as something similar to a memory thudded to the surface. He fell to his knees and gripped his head with both hands as a searing pain ensued and he was thrown into a dark world that he had become all too accustomed to as of late.

__

~"Nande kuso?!" Inuyasha's voice echoed off of the imaginary walls. From what Inuyasha could tell, there was no floor… no ceiling… no walls… He was just floating in mid-air and it really freaked him out. "Hello?!? What the hell is going on?!?" He demanded angrily as she shook his fist at the air. He was getting sick of being thrust into these dark places. He knew just from simple experience that this was probably some sort of vision like the ones that he had been having recently. Though he hadn't figured out why he was having the visions yet… they were kind of like blurry memories that were trying to break through the surface or something.

"Inuyasha…" A quiet voice echoed on a non-existent breeze. Inuyasha closed his eyes and focused on finding the source of the strange voice. He did not recognize it… hell, he couldn't even tell if it was male or female.

"Who the hell are you!? What the hell do you want with me?!" He growled angrily as his hands balled into fists at his sides and a low growl escaped from his throat. He was tired of these mysterious phantoms messing with his head.

"You need to remember, Inuyasha…" The voice purred in his ear. This time he recognized the voice as a woman… though the voice was still unfamiliar to him.

"Remember what, onna?!" He demanded as he spun around to find the source of the voice. He stared off into endless blackness, unbroken by the silvery voice that sounded close to his ear.

"The truth…" The female voice whispered close to his ear. Suddenly he couldn't move as he felt warm breath on his ear. He tried to turn his head to see her face but his body would not obey his command.

"Truth?" He questioned as the angry look on his face faded to be replaced by a slightly perplexed one. "I was in love with Kikyo…" He said slowly as if he were trying to convince himself.

"Is that what your heart tells you?" The voice questioned as a snow-white hand reached in front of him and touched the middle of his chest. His gaze fell on the frail hand that pointed to the spot where his heart was.

"…." He wasn't sure how to answer the question. He had thought he loved Kikyo, but now he was not so sure. 'Have I been tricked?'_ He silently wondered as he tried to recall his life. Anything before his re-awakening seemed to be quite blurry. _'Is this woman trying to trick me?'_ He wondered as he tried to turn his head to see her face. His neck would not obey what his body was urging it to do. "You're trying to trick me… aren't you?" Inuyasha asked in an unsure tone._

"I am not trying to trick you." The flowing voice said quietly. The gentle sound of the voice flowed over him like warm flames and warmed him inside and out.

"Why can't I see your face, then?" Inuyasha asked as he ignored the warm feeling that surrounded his body. Her arms had wrapped around him loosely and he could feel the warmth licking at his arms… his chest… his stomach… his neck where he could feel her warm breath.

"You must remember the truth to see my face. Wake up fully, Inuyasha…" She whispered as soft lips ran over Inuyasha's neck. He felt a small shiver run through his body as his eyes closed and he succumbed to the tempting warmth of the woman's arms.~

"Ten… shi…" Inuyasha whispered as the white hands faded and the darkness grew light. He opened his eyes to see light blaring down on him. He was lying on the hard ground on his back staring up into the sky. The sun blared down and made him squint his eyes partially closed until he sat up. He looked around him slowly and realized that he was sitting in the middle of the alleyway he had been walking through. He gripped his head as pain pounded gently in his temples. That's when something hit him… that scent… Sesshoumaru! _'What the hell is that bastard doing here?!'_ He thought angrily as his eyes narrowed. He had nearly forgotten him with the coming of that strange vision. Now his full focus was put on how to deal with that little problem.

"Inuyasha-sama!" A voice cried that broke into Inuyasha's angry musings. Inuyasha looked around for the source of the voice but seemed unable to find it so he began to walk down the alleyway toward the main street he had left Usagi on several minutes earlier. That's when he felt a sharp pinch in his chest. He pulled open his shirt and glared down at the flea that was indulging himself on Inuyasha's blood before he simply smacked the flea and let him float to the ground as flat as a piece of paper. "Why, Inuyasha-sama…" The flea moaned as he floated to the ground slowly. Inuyasha paused and kneeled down beside the familiar insect that lay on the ground.

"Myouga-jiji, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked as he picked up the flea between the claws of his thumb and pointer finger.

"Your father had such sweet blood," The flea was musing to himself as he closed his eyes and reminisced. "Of course yours is diluted a little from his, but it's still very good."

"I'm not going to repeat the question." Inuyasha said as he just stared down at the flea. The flea, sensing his imminent danger, decided that he would get to the point.

"It's about Sesshoumaru-sama." Myouga said as Inuyasha held him tightly between his claws. "He's been searching for your father's grave."

"Weren't you the guardian of that grave?" Inuyasha asked as he raised one eyebrow down at the flea. "Let me guess, you got scared and came running to me, didn't you?"

"That's…" Myouga started as a sweatdrop slid down his small face slowly.

"Why would Sesshoumaru know about my father's grave?" Inuyasha asked in sudden confusion. He and Sesshoumaru had always disliked each other as far as Inuyasha knew, but why would the older dog demon go after the grave of Inuyasha's father?

"Have you forgotten, Inuyasha-sama?" Myouga asked as he raised on eyebrow at the half dog demon.

"Forgotten…" Inuyasha said as he tried to remember the silvery voice from the vision he had had not too long ago. "What are you talking about?!" Inuyasha demanded as he broke out of his thoughts suddenly. A look of fear suddenly came to the flea's eyes as he saw the glare he was receiving from Inuyasha.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is your brother." Myouga said as he saw the brief confused look on Inuyasha's face.

"Brother?" Inuyasha questioned as his eyebrows raised slightly. "That certainly would explain a lot…" He said dimly to himself.

****

Kagome watched in open-mouthed shock as she saw Taiki smash the beautiful flowers she had been going to give Seiya. When she had seen him on television, at the concert, and at school, he didn't seem capable of doing something so incredibly mean, but he had done just that a moment ago.

"What did you do that for?" Kagome questioned genuinely as she knelt down and picked up the smashed flowers. She broke a few stems off to remove the damaged flowers and moved some of the blossoms so she could hide the new bald spots.

"I don't have to give you an explanation. I want all of you to leave; you do not belong here. You're the reason he's in the hospital to begin with." Taiki said coldly as he narrowed his eyes on the dark-haired girl and her comrades.

"Leave them be, Taiki-kun." A weak voice said from behind the group. Kagome and her friends turned to see a bandaged Seiya dressed in hospital robes pushing his way slowly through the parting sea of girls. "I was trying to protect Usagi-san, you can't blame my injuries on them." He walked over to Kagome and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Taiki and Yaten were glaring intently on the three people that stood beside Seiya, but neither one said anything for a few minutes.

"We can't let you associate with them, Seiya-kun. They have something to do with those monsters that keep appearing. Can't you see that?" Yaten asked as he took a step toward Seiya and reached out to grab his arm.

"The way I saw it, they are just victims of them so you can't place any blame on them. She was trying to protect Usagi, the same as I was. I wasn't fast enough to move out of that guy's way, it's as simple as that." Seiya said as he turned from Taiki and Yaten and headed back to his room. He motioned for Kagome and her friends to follow him.

"How do you feel, Seiya-kun?" Kagome asked quietly as she set the nearly mutilated flowers on the table beside Seiya's bed. Seiya sat on the edge of the bed and looked out at the group of people assembled in his room.

"You can come back later, I need to speak with them in private." Seiya said to the swarm of girls that had followed Kagome, Sango, and Miroku into Seiya's room. "It's not as bad as Taiki and Yaten make it seem. It may scar, but it was worth it. Have you found odango yet?" He asked as a worried look crossed his face.

"Aa, she stayed at home today. It was safer for her there because of the barrier around the shrine." Kagome said as she sat down in one of the overstuffed armchairs in his room. Sango and Miroku followed suit and found their own armchairs on the opposite side of the room. Seiya swung his feet back up onto his bed and leaned back against his pillows.

"I'm glad to hear that." Seiya said as he released a quiet sigh of relief. "I haven't known her long, but she shines." Seiya said as he thought of the blonde girl. He had seen the silver shine surround her when she'd saved her friend's life the first day he met her.

"She was supposed to meet us here, but we haven't found her yet." Sango said as a slightly worried look crossed her face.

"Don't worry, Sango-chan. Usagi is always late." Kagome said to try and reassure Sango. "Besides, Inuyasha wouldn't dare try anything with that little 'collar' he has to wear now." She finished as she stifled a giggle.

"Inuyasha?" Seiya questioned as he raised an eyebrow slightly at Kagome.

"Well, it's more of a necklace. Since he's a dog demon the word 'collar' just fits better, don't you think?" Kagome asked as Miroku and Sango giggled lightly at her silly little joke. Seiya still seemed confused at her reference to the necklace.

"How would she be safe because of a necklace?" He questioned as he started to get up from the bed. He was about to swing his feet over the edge when Kagome approached him.

"Don't, you're hurt!" She nearly cried as she put her hand over his. "You need to get your rest, I promise Usagi-chan is all right."

"How can you be so sure?" He asked as he attempted to bypass her and climb off the other side of the bed.

"Because she has the 'sit' command she could use on him." Kagome said simply as a smile touched her lips. "All she does is say one word and he has to obey her."

"One thing has been bothering me, though." Miroku said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's that, the fact that all of the girls at Kagome's school avoid your groping hands?" Sango asked dryly as she grabbed the hand that was steadily creeping toward her chair. Miroku pouted in Sango's direction and tried to pull his hand free, copping a feel in the process. His stolen grope earned him a nice red mark covering his cheek.

"You're going to have a permanent red mark on your face, Miroku-sama…" Kagome said dryly as a sweatdrop appeared on her, Sango's, and Seiya's foreheads. Miroku put one hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, his attitude going suddenly serious.

"Once he leaves the barrier, do you think he'll leave her alone for other youkai to attack?" Miroku asked slowly. Kagome's eyes widened slightly. That thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Ack!" Kagome cried as she jumped to her feet and grasped at her hair. "How could we have been so stupid?!? It's so obvious that he'd do that!!" Kagome cried as she headed for the door with Sango and Miroku close behind her. "Gomen Seiya-kun! We have to go right now! Hope you feel better!" Kagome called over her shoulder as she and her friends burst through the closed door and began sprinting down the hallway… well, as best as you can sprint through a sea of fangirls trying to get in to see Seiya.

****

"Mff… Leemmfffee… mmouuuufft!" Usagi's muffled cry filled the air. She was unable to see anything… unable to move too terribly much… and nearly unable to breath.

"She doesn't even shuttup when she's wrapped up like that." Jyaken commented to himself as he pushed his hands against his ears tightly. Ever since Sesshoumaru had lifted off the ground, the girl had been shrieking against his tail? Jyaken had always assumed it was a tail, but at times he wasn't quite sure. It sure was soft, though. And warm as well. Jyaken resisted the urge to rub his face against the soft fur with all of the will power he possessed.

"Mffff… cfaaanffft… mmffreeaafftthh!" Her muffled cry came again as she fought against the binds that pinned her arms to her sides.

"Sesshoumaru-sama." Jyaken's voice broke the near silence. The only other sounds they heard during their journey were the wind in their ears and the muffled yelps of their kidnap victim. "I'm just wondering… Do you think Inuyasha will take the bait?"

"I have his mate." Sesshoumaru said quietly as a small frown played across his lips. To think his hanyou brother would sink so low as to choose this weak creature as his mate. "He'll come."

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama." Jyaken said to acknowledge the simple comment from his Lord. They floated through the sky in silence for several more moments before the floating trio descended to the ground on the fluffy cloud.

"Let me out!" Usagi screamed as she beat her fists against the fur. Of course it was useless, though. Her hands just sunk into the fur as if it were water. She was very much surprised when her binds slithered off of her as if a huge, nearly formless snake. _'He let me go?'_ Her thoughts questioned as she realized he was letting her go for some reason. The light stung her eyes as it hit her and she was forced to bring a hand up to shield them from the bright glare. "Nani?" She questioned as she tried to blink out the dots that were dancing before her eyes.

"You, walk." He ordered calmly as he turned away from her and headed into the forest they stood beside. "If you try to run away, I won't hesitate to kill you." He said coldly without turning toward her. Usagi tensed at that last comment. She had been contemplating doing that very thing… she was going to stay behind a ways and when he wasn't paying attention, she was going to run the opposite way until she found someone or saw something familiar. As it were, she had no clue where they were except that they weren't in Tokyo anymore. They were out in the country; she could tell that much just by the size of the forest and the amount of foliage. The parks in Tokyo had a few trees sprinkled here and there and maybe a couple bushes, but the ground wasn't covered with leaves like it was under these trees. She sighed deeply and followed after the tall demon grudgingly under the cover of the leaves.

"Where are we going?" Usagi asked as she stepped over a fallen branch. She had put on her school uniform before she'd left the house to go visit Seiya. Now she was regretting that particular move as twigs and sticks poked her legs and thorn bushes snagged her clothes and ripped her soft skin. "Mou! Why did they have to make our skirts so short?" She whined as a thorn grabbed her skirt and refused to relinquish its hold.

"Hurry up, human!" Jyaken said impatiently as he frowned up at the captured Usagi.

"Why are you so mean, Jyaken?" Usagi whined as she finally managed to untangle the short skirt from the bush. The thorns had left little holes behind and a small rip going upward from the bottom edge. "Oh no…" She said as she held the skirt with one hand. "Higurashi-mama is going to kill me! I just got this uniform!"

"Humph! Why should I treat you with respect?!" Jyaken asked angrily as he crossed his arms over his chest and pushed past her, nearly knocking her over in the process. "Besides, you're our hostage and bait!"

"Hidoi, Jyaken…" Usagi pouted as she followed the retreating form of Sesshoumaru.

"Chotto, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jyaken cried as he turned to find himself alone. He took off running after the form of his master even deeper into the forest.

"Ne, Sesshoumaru, where are we going?" Usagi asked again as she trotted along beside him. She looked up expectantly for an answer and frowned deeply when an answer didn't come. "I asked you a question! You're supposed to answer when someone asks you something!" Usagi said angrily as she frowned deeply at him. "You're really rude." She said as a small pout touched her lips. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Usagi roughly by the wrist. Usagi bit back a cry of pain as his claws sunk into her flesh, drawing blood.

"Quit you incessant talking!!" He said coldly as he gaze fixed on the wincing girl. Again the soft scent of her blood filled the air around him and he the sudden urge to do something. He wasn't sure what the strange urge was until it grew too strong and his body moved as if on its own accord. Before he could stop himself, he had grabbed the strange girl into his arms and brought his teeth down roughly on her neck. He heard a cry of surprise and pain escape her lips, but he wasn't in control of himself anymore. Her blood was too enticing… he wanted to know if it tasted as sweet as it smelled. He had never lost control of himself until he had met her. He wasn't even sure he had snatched her from Inuyasha as bait because in actuality he didn't believe her to be his mate. She didn't have the mate mark so that didn't necessarily mean she belonged to him even though his scent covered her.

"Iie! Stop!" Usagi cried as tears streamed down her face. Of all the things that could happen to her, she had never expected to be killed by a demon that was acting like a vampire. _[A.N. Sorry, I've been reading a lot of vampire books lately ^^;]_. Usagi could stop the tears that stained her face from falling, nor lessen his iron grip on her. Her fear was building with every second he held her so tightly and lapped lightly at the blood that flowed from the wound. She could feel his rough tongue run across her skin and that made a blush rush to her face and her stomach to do flip-flops. Her body seemed to be filling with ice that spread out from his fangs still in her neck downward through her body. She felt something else from deep within rush to meet the ice and combat it… It felt warm… But she was forced to close her eyes as pain began to prickle where the two forces met. It was excruciatingly painful where they met… Under her closed lids she saw a blinding silver light that was so bright it overcame the pain in her body. A great noise filled her ears as she saw the blinding silver light glowing so brightly. It was like a huge gust of wind, but vaguely she could hear the screams and cries of millions of people intermingled in the sound of the wind. It sent cold chills down her back… Never had she heard such an awful sound. She could vaguely see a figure blocking the blinding light… It was a woman… She looked regal as if she were royalty and held a strange wand with a crescent moon on the top above her head. Nestled in the center of the wand was a glowing jewel that appeared to be the source of the light.

"Please be happy, my child…" Her lips moved with soundless words. Usagi could see a tear glitter on the woman's face and slowly fall to the ground.

Sesshoumaru drew back as he finally managed to get control of his instincts. He looked at the unconscious girl in his arms and realized there was something very strange happening to her. He had felt the poison seeping into her body from his fangs but something had begun to surge up from inside of her. _'Hmm… It seems her healing power is trying to save her…'_ He thought to himself as he pulled back from the wound. He cursed himself silently for losing control of him self, especially because she didn't seem to have any strength besides her strange ability to cure people.

"Pathetic…" He muttered to himself as he went to drop her to the ground in disgust. She had gone unusually quiet and her face had paled considerably. That was something that happened to all the victims of his poison. Something caught his eye, though… There was some sort of symbol glowing dimly on her forehead. _'Is that? A golden crescent?'_ He questioned himself as he ran his finger over the spot.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?" A familiar voice broken into the tall Lord's thoughts. He had seen a look of surprise on Sesshoumaru's face that he had never seen there before.

"A mark of nobility…" He said to himself as a small smile touched his lips. He watched as the symbol faded and then disappeared. "Interesting…"

****

"Has the data processed yet?" Rei asked as she sat on the floor beside the blue-haired genius. It had already been an hour since they had come to the conclusion that the blonde girl may have a connection to their princess, who they had been searching for all this time.

"Not yet. It seems my computer is having a little trouble with the data I input. There may not be enough data for it to process accurately." Ami said intelligently as she pressed a few buttons to get a read out on the progress.

"Maybe we should find her and ask if she's our princess." Minako suggested as she popped a cookie into her mouth.

"If she were our princess, wouldn't she have contacted us by now?" Makoto questioned as she took one of her fresh baked cookies and nibbled on it thoughtfully. "Hmm… not enough nutmeg…" She commented as she took the cookie out of her mouth.

"There's no way that blonde airhead is our princess or knows anything about her!" Rei argued as she crossed her arms over her chest with a frown stretched across her cross face. "Have you guys seen her at school? She's a complete moron! Just look at the girl's grades! If it weren't for Higurashi, she probably wouldn't have even gotten into high school!"

"I don't think you give her enough credit, Rei-chan." Ami's voice broke into the conversation as the blue-haired girl looked up from her computer. It didn't seem to be working the way she wanted it to. "I mean, she does seem very friendly, and she never speaks poorly of anyone. Even the smart people that most students would call 'nerds'."

"You're too harsh, Rei." Makoto agreed as a small smile touched her lips. "When I transferred to her middle school, she was the first one to talk to me, even though I over-heard her friends telling her not to. I had the reputation of a thug so no one would go near me."

"You're all standing up for her?!" Rei asked in exasperation. Sure the girl was friendly, but she was also a klutz, a terrible student, rash, and a cry baby. There was no way such a girl could be, or have an connection with their princess. She had absolutely no grace and the way she ate was atrocious!

"Come on, Rei-chan," Minako said as a serious expression crossed her face. "You know they saying, you can't judge a book by its pages."

"You mean 'cover' Minako-chan…" Artemis said quietly as a sweatdrop slid slowly down his furry face. She was exactly the same as she had been the day he'd found her… That was sad because she had become a Senshi a full year before the rest when she was in Europe.

"Are you really our leader?" Rei asked dryly as she mimicked Artemis and a sweatdrop slid down her face as well. Minako pouted at her being teased by her friends. They always seemed to pick on her.

"Mou… Why do you always pick on me? Aren't you supposed to respect me? I **am** the leader!" She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at them playfully.

"What a ham…" Makoto said quietly as she joined the group with a sweatdrop. That was all too common when dealing with Minako. She pretended to be an airhead but when they were in battle, she was a lot more clear-headed than when she was just Minako.

"Quiet you guys!" Rei said as she held up her hand to silence the other people (and cats) in the room. She closed her eyes as if in concentration and the symbol of Mars began to glow dimly in the bright lights of the room. "Do you feel that?" There was an intake of breath from the other girls in the room.

"I sense it…" Makoto said as she closed her eyes. As she concentrated on the strange sensation, the symbol of Jupiter lit up on her forehead and glowed with a dim green light.

"Our princess…" Minako said as the symbol of Venus burned dimly on her forehead.

"She's awakened…" Ami whispered as a small smile spread across her lips. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes as the symbol of Mercury began to glow blue against her pale skin.

"Do you know where she is?" Luna asked as she leapt into Rei's lap, her own crescent moon glowing along with their symbols.

"I'm not sure…" Rei said as her eyebrows knit in concentration. "She's in Japan but… I can't say exactly where… Ami-chan." Rei said as she turned her attention to the blue-haired genius. "Can you run a trace on her power signature?"

"I'll try." Ami said as she began to push buttons on her hand-held computer with a rapid speed. After a few minutes a frown spread across her face. "The signature was too weak and it's gone now. I couldn't capture it long enough to finish the trace." She said as her disappointment showed on her face.

"Don't worry, Ami-chan. We'll find her soon. Now that she's waking up, maybe she'll come and find us." Minako said as a reassuring smile crossed her face. Rei smiled at her blond friend. No matter what differences she and Minako had you could always could on Minako to look on the up side of every situation they were in. That was probably her greatest strength in Rei's eyes. She was always optimistic.

****

"He's nearby…" Inuyasha said to himself as he stood up from his crouched position on the ground. He had been following the other dog demon's scent successfully out into the edge of the suburbs. Since Sesshoumaru planned to plunder the grave of their father, Inuyasha decided that he wanted whatever the treasures in the grave would be, if not for any other reason that pissing off the Lord of the West. He would do anything to beat his brother!

"Inuyasha-sama. I suggest you continue on." Myouga said as he perched on the hanyou's shoulder. Inuyasha glared down at the freeloader and then glanced around idly at the gathered group of humans that surrounded him. They never learned did they? Whenever something weird was happening, they rushed to see what was going on. They were like little ants, crawling out of their safe hiding places the minute danger is about so they can see what's going on. He didn't care, though. If they were ready to die let them. He was only there to find Sesshoumaru and steal the treasures before the older demon had the opportunity.

"Urusai!" Inuyasha barked at the flea in annoyance. No one told Inuyasha what to do! At least… not anymore. He didn't notice the flinch of the humans at his sudden outburst at seemingly no one or maybe even at everyone. The humans began to slowly back away from the half-demon as they saw the angry, crazed look in his eyes. _'At least there aren't as many of them as in Tokyo.'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he glared at the closest human. That particular human froze under Inuyasha's glare like a deer caught in the headlights and didn't more… didn't breathe… Inuyasha smirked to himself at his triumph. It was easy enough to make humans freeze in terror, especially with his appearance. He could have been taken for human if not for the fangs, claws, and the eerie color of his hair and eyes. One, did I mention the little fluffy dog-ears on his head? Inuyasha would gladly have frightened the humans a little longer if the sky hadn't begun to grow so dark. _'The sun isn't supposed to set for another half hour!'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he jumped into the air and headed out into one of the huge fields on the edge of the city. That was where the scent of his brother was the strongest.

"Inuyasha-sama! I leave the rest to you!" The flea's voice cried and there was the distinct sound of a flea jumping. _[A.N. If you've seen the show, you'll know the sound ~.^]_.

"Coward!" Inuyasha yelled after his already retreating guardian. Leave it to Inuyasha's father to leave a FLEA to be his guardian. "Temee, come out Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha growled out as he stood his ground waiting for the sudden fog to clear. Sesshoumaru liked to make an entrance so Inuyasha knew that just by yelling the old dog demon wouldn't come out. He also knew that Sesshoumaru would start to lose his cool with the amount of disrespect Inuyasha used in yelling for him. Inuyasha's body tensed as amused laughter filled the air and Inuyasha tensed only slightly.

"I see I've done well to lure you out, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's deep voice filled the air. To many, his voice was mysterious and hypnotic. Some would even go as far as to say it was down right sexy. Mostly human females seemed to become hypnotized by his voice and lured straight to him and to their deaths. "After all, I stole your filthy human mate from you." He said confidently as he tried to hold the struggling girl with his tail. She sure had a lot of spunk in her. He had used his poison to subdue but not kill her and she still fought. Any other human would have been nearly unconscious by that point. Then again, the girl did not have the scent of any human he had ever come across. _'I'll find out what she is…'_ He vowed vaguely as his eyes fell on her pale face. It was much paler than when he had taken her, but that was due to the poison.

"Keh! Do you really think that weak human is my mate?" He questioned as he smirked in the direction of his brother's voice. The demon hadn't come out of hiding, of course, but he knew which way his brother would come from.

"Baka!" Usagi's voice broke through the air. "You better save me from your idiot brother or I'll say it so many times you won't be able to move for months!" She cried as she fought the river of fur that threatened to pull her under. She would have said more but the river had yanked her violently under and she found that she was drowning in a sea of soft warmth. _'Smells good…'_ She thought vaguely to herself as she imagined sinking into a new world of sugar and candy. Of course that would be attributed to the poison that was being pumped through her blood to all parts of her body.

"You think I care, onna? He can kill you for all I care! It would save me the trouble!" Inuyasha called out to the now silent girl. "Come out already! I don't have all damn night! Why the hell were you trying so hard to get my attention? Can't find father's grave without my help?" He questioned as a small smirk played across his lips. He knew that by mocking Sesshoumaru, it would draw him out of hiding faster.

"As you wish, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's voice sounded amused and the fog slowly began to part. Inuyasha took one step back unconsciously as he saw the huge demon that Sesshoumaru was perched upon. He could vaguely make out the blonde girl's legs as his brother's fluffy tail wrapped the girl up to subdue her. There was a glowing green whip coming from Sesshoumaru's hand that he flicked once to bring the demon a few steps closer to Inuyasha. "Now, tell me where father's grave is. Where one can see, but cannot be seen. The place where it's own keeper cannot look." He said slowly.

"Sorry to break it to you but I don't know." Inuyasha said with a smirk. It was true too. Inuyasha had never been told where the grave was. He barely even remembered his father… or his mother… not since that fateful day when all of the youkai were put into the sleep of eternity. At least, it was supposed to be for eternity.

"I'll beat the answer out of you, then." Sesshoumaru said as a smirk played across his lips. He rose his whip and snapped it at the neck of the demon, which left a deep gash. The demon roared loudly in pain and rose it's great arms to bring down on Inuyasha.

Inuyasha smirked as the demon's hand came toward him at an alarming rate. He was only slightly surprised that a demon of its size was able to move that fast. It was easy for him to dodge none-the-less, though. He leapt into the air and attacked the hand with as much force as he could muster.

"Sankou Tetsusou!" He cried as he brought his sharp claws down on the demon's arm. In one swift movement, the hand flew off and landed on the ground. The blood poured from the demon's severed hand and soaked the green grass turning it a sickening red color. Inuyasha ran up the demon's arm and headed straight for Sesshoumaru. He drew his claws and prepared them to slice into Sesshoumaru, but instead only hit air.

"Pathetic demon…" Sesshoumaru whispered as he dodged Inuyasha and landed on the opposite shoulder. The demon was much too slow to have an effect against the hanyou. Inuyasha may be a half human, but his other half was the blood of the taiyoukai so he was as strong as a full youkai under most situations. When it came to Sesshoumaru and Naraku, Inuyasha was beat there, though. Sesshoumaru snapped his whip again and left huge gashes on the demon's throat and shoulder. He smirked to himself and leapt off the shoulder of the demon. In mid-air, he unwrapped the human girl and held his poison claw to her throat.

"Temee…" Inuyasha growled as he leapt after his brother and saw him use the girl as a shield. "Do you think I won't kill her?!?" He demanded angrily as rage began to bubble in his veins. "I can definitely kill her!!" He yelled. Sesshoumaru smirked in confidence.

"Then why don't you?" He questioned as he held the girl tightly in front of him. She opened one eye and sent a pleading look over at Inuyasha.

"Inu… yasha… kun…" She whispered as she reached up to grab Sesshoumaru's hand with her own. Inuyasha could vaguely see the fresh wounds that covered her legs and arms and he could smell her blood clearly… It smelled as if it were tainted with poison…

"Kuso…" He muttered as he found he couldn't bring himself to slice her open with his claws. He landed on the ground at nearly the same time his brother did and stared at him in disgust. "Using her as a shield, bastard…" He muttered as he glared deeply at his older brother.

"If I remember correctly the hint to where father's grave is," Sesshoumaru started as he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Where one can see, but cannot be seen. The place where its own keeper cannot look upon."

"Keh! Like I know what the hell that means!" Inuyasha barked across the distance between Sesshoumaru and him.

"… eye…" Usagi muttered in her drowsy state. Her eyes had closed and again she was floating… She was riding on the back of a Pegasus with glowing white wings and a beautiful golden horn [1].

"Hmm…" Sesshoumaru seemed to be contemplating her random mumble and a small smirk spread across her lips. "I do believe you are right." He said as he tossed her to the side. "The right black pearl…" He muttered. He had remembered hearing that before from someone, but he had his answer. Now was the time to strike.

****

::Fin::

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February 5, 2004

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Chibi: small, little (used as something like "little kid"…. You should all know that word^^; )**  
Nande kuso?**: What the hell?  
**Tenshi**: angel (*points up* I split the word up for effect)  
**[name]-jiji**: the translation in the fansubs is "old man"  
**Urusai**: annoying, ?shuttup? (Inuyasha says this ALL the time to Kagome… at least, I think that's the word…)  
**Temee**: A rude form of you (I've seen it translated as 'you bastard' in fansubs, Inuyasha uses this all the time in battle!)

[1] This is just a reference to Helios in his Pegasus form ~.^ I LOVE Helios so I wanted to mention him *grins*

I had a few ppl mention that they didn't think Taiki would step on Kagome's flower (but Yaten would). I just wanted to show how protective he is (like he shows when Seiya is injured because of Usagi/Sailor Moon). *shrugs* Or that may just be a little bit of OOCness, gomen *sweatdrop* I honestly did that scene just to show how protective he was over his teammates *shrugs* This chapter is just a little over 10 pages long, I'm up to page 112 of the story *beams* (or something like that). Anyway, I'll be updating "A New Star in the Sky" next so sorry if it takes a little longer for the next chapter of this to come out. Please review or email me at krissi_chan@yahoo.com I need feedback! Remember Lots of reviews = Happy author = Updates faster! And I'm still looking for a beta-reader! Email me for details! Ja ne!


	13. Chapter 12 Shattered

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Uragirimono

Replies:  
**midlight bunny**: *grins* Now that is the question, ne? I'm not going to reveal just yet if she has been marked by Fluffy-kun ~.^ Hehe^^ I love that, land of sugar and candy *giggles*  
**Serenity Komoshiro**: I LOVE Elios/Helios!! He's so awesome! He's also made an appearance recently in my HP/SM one-shot I'm working on^^  
**LunarPrincess**: *giggles* I'm glad you like it^^ Sorry it too me so long to update this time^^; This chappie followed the anime a lot more than the others, but only because there were elements that I just LOVED in the series^^  
**Angel-Goddess**: Oooo! Long review! Yay! *glomps* I LOVE long reviews, makes my day when I get to go read them *beams* There's lots of Kouga/Kagome in this chappie ~.^ (it's mostly devoted to them since I neglected them last chappie^^; ). Usa-chan is a lil older than me (I can't wait til June, we're going to a con together! *yay!*). I'm not really smart… my school will accept anyone with a heartbeat *sweatdrops* It's a BIG school . (30,000 students o.O). I wanna go to Japan! *pouts* I'd never be able to afford it, though *frowns* Hope you like this chappie^^  
**Sailor Ronin Usa-chan**: *giggles* I try my best to keep ppl in character, otherwise, it's not really fanfiction ne? It's a story with the names an history of anime *sweatdrops* Elios/Helios is awesome^^ Sorry no Souta-kun in this chappie^^; I know most animals go for the throat, cuz it's easiest to pinch off their air and suffocate them ~.^ (I'm a big-time animal person… I used to read book after book after book on animals, I had Zoo Books as a kid, and there was something else I'd get every month with diff. Animals… I have two binders full of stuff on animals^^). Oh! And about Usagi knowing about the black pearl, it's just a simple riddle actually *shrugs* If you look at the clue given.  
**Sailor_Star_Light**: Gomen for the long break w/o updating^^; Busy busy busy! Here's the update though ~.^  
**Eternalmoonprincess**: *giggles* I was going for blood-lust^^ It was kinda erotic wasn't it… o.O I didn't even think about that til I went back and re-read it^^; You'll see on the competition part ~.^ I'm not quite sure yet *shrugs* It's tough to write a Sess/Inu/Usa triangle . Cuz Sess isn't the type to just fall for someone easily *shrugs* Inu-kun is more likely to fall for someone than Fluffy^^; Hidoi means scary (or something similar) and taiyoukai is what Inu/Sess's father was. In the fansubs I watched, it translated to "The Great Monster" or something along those lines, but just know that their dad was bigger/stronger/faster/etc. than most youkai/demons.  
**Queen luvBunny**: *grins* I'm glad you like it^^ Here's the update for ya^^ Sorry for the wait^^;  
**Chaos Baby**: ^^ Here's an update^^ Glad to hear you net is back so you can read more, ne?  
**Merlenyn**: I am being a lil mean to Usa aren't I? *sweatdrops* Man… and by the story-line only a few days have passed! O.o Sorry to say, she'll prolly suffer a lot more abuse throughout this ficcy^^; Demo, once Inu-kun is done being such a jerk… it'll be HIM getting hurt and not her^^; *grins* I actually like the manga version of how he gets the black pearl better as well ~.^ and I was planning on using it so *shrugs* I used it *grins* Anyway, ja ne!  
**Senshi's Tenshi**: Welcome back^^ I haven't seen Fruits Basket *pouts* But I've heard it's good. I actually saw Chobits 1-26 the other day *beams* (I bought the DVDs off eBay for $30… they were imports too…even the menus were in Japanese… that was fun trying to figure out how to turn on the subtitles *sweatdrops*). Sorry I took so long to update^^ Busy Poky!  
**moonbeam21**: Glad you like^^ Here's the update, sorry it too me so long^^;  
**themoonmaiden**: I was wondering if you were still reading this^^; I thought you might have found it too graphic (with all the abuse Usagi has been getting and stuff) or something^^; I'm not going to say if she's marked or not~.^ I don't want to ruin it^^ Anyway, thanx for the reviews^^ (I love when ppl review every chapter) and sorry for the long wait^^;

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Note: Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with school and work and such. I've also been working on my website a lot lately (mostly the graphics site), but also the script where you can post stories directly onto my site (after they have been looked over and validated by a moderator). If you want, come and post some stories  go to the Fanfiction link and it will take you where you need to be. I have also been working on a Harry Potter/Sailor Moon one-shot so I can become a mentor at Usa-chan's site () so make sure you check out her site some time if you're interested. I'm not sure when this will be updated next, but I want to finish that one-shot first, sorry minna-san! I'm still having a blast writing this, I've just been having trouble finding time to write it^^;

Oh, and about how Usagi knew about the Black Pearl last chapter. The hint that was give was just a simple riddle and in her delirious state, she was able to answer it^^; Sorry if I didn't make that clear to you^^;

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Thank Yous: I want to say thank you to **Usa-chan** for pre-reading (even though she didn't pre-read a lot of this chapter) and I want to thank **LunarPrincess** for beta-reading this chapter. I also want to thank **Angel-Goddess** for her awesome reviews and compliments^^ There are a few others I want to thank for sticking with me and liking this story: **midlight bunny**, **Serenity Komoshiro**, **Eternalmoonprincess**, **themoonmaiden**, **Senshi's Tenshi**, and anyone else that I missed, I'm sorry^^;

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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha but the story and plot belong to me. Steal and you will answer to a horde of angry muses.

Chapter 12 - Shattered…

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Inuyasha demanded from Sesshoumaru. The right black pearl? That didn't make any sense at all!

"Yes, I have a faint memory of that phrase. I heard father say it once, but I was not sure what it meant until now." Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed darkly on Sesshoumaru as he took a small step forward. He dropped into a fighting stance, daring Sesshoumaru to move the slightest bit. "Now… how shall I remove it? Shall I kill you first and take it? Or shall I take it and kill you later?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha said in annoyance as he glared at his brother. He wasn't scared of Sesshoumaru at all, even if he was stronger and faster. Inuyasha was too proud to admit that he couldn't beat his brother. Sesshoumaru smirked at his brother's 'lack of interest' in their fight.

"Was it put there without your knowledge?" Sesshoumaru questioned as his smirk deepened.

"The treasure in your father's grave belongs to Inuyasha-sama!" A small voice piped up from Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha glanced down to see Myouga sitting there frowning up at Sesshoumaru.

"Myouga-jiji?" Inuyasha questioned, surprised that the little bug had decided to come back after he ran away. "Are you gonna run away again?!" He demanded angrily as he remembered what had happened before Sesshoumaru had appeared.

"Well… I couldn't see in the fog to leave…" Myouga admitted with a nervous look in his little buggy eyes.

"Coward…" Inuyasha muttered as he turned his attention back to his brother. His eyes widened slightly as he found himself face to face with Sesshoumaru. He hadn't even seen the older demon move. _'He's faster than I thought…'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he dodged away from Sesshoumaru and did a backflip in mid-air. He landed a few paces away as Sesshoumaru lunged again and grabbed the hanyou around the throat with his left hand.

"Let's see…" Sesshoumaru mused to himself as he gripped the throat of his struggling brother. He wrapped his tail around the blond girl once more so that she was out of the way. She might still come in handy, if his brother decided that he was going to fight him for the Fang.

"Temee! Let me go!" Inuyasha yelled as he slashed out at Sesshoumaru with his claws. Sesshoumaru was too fast, though. He merely smirked and ducked his head in time for Inuyasha's claws to slice the still air above his head. Sesshoumaru raised his head again and brought two fingers together on his right hand. His smirk grew in size as he plunged his fingers straight into Inuyasha right eye [1]. Inuyasha cried out in surprise and in immense pain as he felt the claws go into his eye.

"Trust father to hide it in such an odd place. That must have taken a powerful bit of magic. He was determined to escape desecration, wasn't he?" Sesshoumaru said with a smirk as he drew his fingers back to reveal a small black bead, which greatly resembled the pearl. "To think a little girl was able to solve that riddle when Sesshoumaru couldn't. How could I have been so blind?" He questioned as he dropped Inuyasha and took a few steps backwards. "No wonder I couldn't find it no matter how much I scoured the earth."

"Kisama…" Inuyasha growled as he lay on the ground holding his bleeding eye. "How dare you… All of this for that stupid grave?!" He demanded angrily as he watched Sesshoumaru drop the pearl to the ground.

"Jyaken." He called out in impatience. The little imp came waddling out of the dense fog holding a staff that was longer than he was tall. "How long I have waited for this moment." He said with an amused smile. He took the staff from the imp and slammed it down on top of the pearl at his feet. Once the end of the staff touched the pearl, the mouth of the old man opened and began to laugh hysterically.

"The old man is laughing! That means the seal is breaking!" Jyaken said in outright shock at hearing the cackling laughter coming from the shriveled up head of the old man. A black light stretched outward from the pearl that lay on the ground as a great void began to open in mid-air.

"Nani?" Inuyasha questioned as he peered over at his brother from his spot on the ground. He roughly tried to wipe the blood from his eye, but it did little good. His eye was much too swollen for him to even attempt to open it. He would have to wait until it healed a great deal before it would be of much use. "I don't need an eye to beat you, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha growled as he rose to his feet and attacked Sesshoumaru at full force. He brought down his claws as hard as he could on Sesshoumaru only to have his claws meet nothing but air.

"I'll return this to you now, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said with a smirk as he unwrapped the shivering girl from his tail and flung her as hard as he could at Inuyasha before he disappeared through the black portal.

"Eh?!" Inuyasha cried out in surprise as he saw a flash of gold and then felt something smash into his stomach and send him flying backward. It took him a moment to realize it was the strange girl named Usagi and on instinct, wrapped his arms around her to brace her against the impact. He held the shivering girl in his arms for a second and looked down at her pale face. He frowned as she instinctively burrowed her face in his chest in order to get close to the warmth. He also noted that even though she was shivering, her skin was burning hot. She had definitely been poisoned and probably would only live for another half an hour or so. He was surprised she had survived this long with that poison in her blood. "Sesshoumaru… you bastard…" Inuyasha growled as he lay the shivering girl on the ground. He removed his outer robe and wrapped at around her as best he could to keep her warm until he had dealt with his older brother. "You coward!" Inuyasha growled as his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Inuyasha-sama, hayuku!" A small voice piped up from Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha glanced down at the flea with his one good eye and made to wipe the blood away from his other eye with his arm. "Go through the portal! You have to get the treasured sword before your brother does!"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?!" Inuyasha demanded as he raised his fist, and his voice, at the flea perched upon his shoulder. "She'll probably be dead by the time I get back, maybe you'd better stay here." Inuyasha said as he turned his attention back toward the portal. "Nani?!" He cried as he saw that the girl had moved from her place on the ground.

"Come on… Inuyasha-kun…" She said with a pause as she breathed heavily. She was leaning on a long stick to keep her balance and had his red haori draped around her shoulders lazily. "I won't let… him get away with that…" Usagi said as she took a few more shaky steps toward the floating portal.

"Baka! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Inuyasha growled as he stepped forward and made to grab her by the shoulders.

"You're not going alone!" She snapped, as she turned back to face him. He took an involuntary step backwards in surprise at the expression he saw on her face. Her face was filled with a mingled expression of anger, determination, and physical pain that took him by complete surprise. She wasn't allowed to look at him like that! It made him want to make sure she didn't get hurt! _'Baka human…'_ Inuyasha thought angrily to himself. Although he wasn't sure if he was mad at her or at himself for having human blood in his veins.

"Keh! Fine, but you're on your own! I'm not going to protect you, I'm going to be fighting Sesshoumaru." Inuyasha said confidently and he grabbed her around the waist and jumped through the portal in one swift movement.

****

"I can't believe we were so stupid!" Kagome growled as the group ran down the street as fast as their legs could carry them. "Of course he wasn't going to protect her! I should have known he hadn't really changed, I'm so stupid!"

"Stop it, Kagome-sama!" Miroku said as his breath came out in short gasps. "We were all deceived. We're going to find her so just relax!"

"Demo…" Kagome said as her voice trailed off and tears stung at the corners of her eyes. _'If anything happens to her… I'll never forgive myself…'_ Kagome thought to herself as she forced her tired legs to carry her further. She cried out in surprise as something dive-bombed her head. In her surprise, she lost her footing and tripped over a large crack in the sidewalk, which caused her to fall headlong into the ground. "Itai…" She moaned as she rubbed her palms and gingerly touched her bleeding knee. "What was that?!" She demanded as she looked up to see what had attacked her. She screamed in anger as a large black bird flew into her sight and dive-bombed her again, this time he scratched at her face with his sharp, clawed feet.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango cried as she took a step towards the fallen girl. Kagome rose up from the ground and gasped as the bird dived again, this time his beak went for her throat. She threw her hands up to protect her face from the clawed feet.

"Youkai!" Miroku said as he and Sango approached Kagome and stood before her protectively. "Kazaana!" Miroku cried as he unleashed the void in his hand in the direction of the bird. The bird, sensing danger, took this as a sign that it needed to vacate the area. It had already achieved its goal, though.

"Ahh!" Kagome cried from behind Sango and Miroku as she clutched at her throat.

"What's wrong, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked in concern as she turned her attention to the girl they were protecting.

"Oh no… this is bad…" Kagome said as she searched around the ground for something or other.

"What happened, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked as he reached a hand towards the young miko-in-training.

"That crow… It took the jewel!" Kagome said in anger and worry as she found the broken chain lying on the ground beside her. "Come on! We have to catch it!" Kagome cried as she, Sango, and Miroku took off after the crow on foot. Of the three, the only one who seemed to have any real speed or endurance was Miroku.

"I… can't breathe…" Kagome said as she stopped and hunched over, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. "Baka crow!" Kagome cried as she shook her fist at the shrinking figure of the bird. "Damn it!" She growled to herself as she fell to her knees and struggled to draw in another deep breath.

"Oi, Kagome!" A familiar voice called out from behind her. Kagome turned and her eyes widened in slight surprise.

"Ah? Kouga-kun?" Kagome questioned as she saw the form of the wolf demon running toward her. At his side were his two comrades, Hakkai and Ginta as well as several regular wolves trailing behind them. "Does anyone else think it's strange to see wolves in the middle of Tokyo?" She questioned as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead.

"Aa…" Sango agreed as a sweatdrop slid down her face as well at the appearance of the wolves in their strange garb.

"Kun?" Miroku questioned as he raised an eyebrow in Kagome's direction. "He's a youkai, he can't be trusted, Kagome-sama…" Miroku said as his eyes narrowed on the wolf demon approaching.

"Ne, Kouga-kun. I need your help, o-negai!" Kagome called out as she stood up and took a few steps toward the wolf demon.

"I have missed you, my darling." Kouga said as he stopped and took both of Kagome's hands in his. A slight blush touched Kagome's cheeks and she laughed nervously. "What is it you need help with?" He questioned as he looked expectantly into her eyes. "Were you ready to accept my proposal and become my woman?"

"Eh?" Kagome questioned as a sweatdrop slid down the back of her head. "Well… not exactly… You see, that crow demon stole the jewel from me. Can you help me get it back?"

"Nani!?! You let that low-level bastard steal it?!?" Kouga demanded angrily as his voice raised.

"It's not like I LET it take the jewel!!" Kagome yelled back angrily as she glared deeply at the wolf demon standing in front of her. "If you're so worried, you can help me get it back!" Kagome said as her glare deepened as she looked at Kouga. He took a step backwards at the cold look he was receiving from her and made a mental reminder never to make her that angry again. He shook his head and a smirk returned to his lips before he spoke again.

"All right, let's go, Kagome." Kouga said as he knelt down in front of Kagome motioning for her to climb onto his back.

"Kagome-sama! What are you doing?!" Miroku cried as he watched the dark-haired miko climb onto the back of the wolf demon who had kidnapped her before.

"Don't worry, Miroku-sama. He's going to help, ne Kouga-kun?" Kagome said as she smiled slightly in the wolf demon's direction while a slight blush touched her cheeks.

  
"Ja ne!" Kouga said as he leapt into the air with Kagome on his back.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango cried as she watched her friend being whisked away by Kouga. "Kuso…" She muttered as she glared darkly in the direction of the wolf demon. "He can't be trusted! Let's follow them!" Sango said as she took off after the wolf demon with Miroku right at her side.

"We have to stop somewhere, Kouga-kun." Kagome said as they leapt through the city from the ground to rooftops to random trees in pursuit of the crow demon.

"If we stop, we'll lose him." Kouga said as he leapt from a tree onto the top floor of a lower building.

"Don't worry, it's right up here. It will only take a minute. Besides, I can sense where the Shikon no Tama is for some reason." Kagome said with a slight smile. "I need to get a bow from Kaede-sama. That way I can shoot down the crow, you get it?"

"Hmm? You any good with a bow?" Kouga asked as he looked suspiciously over his shoulder at her. She blushed slightly and didn't speak for a few minutes.

"Well… I just started to learn yesterday, but they said that I'm a really quick study." Kagome said as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead. Kouga nearly fell over at her lack of confidence in her ability.

"What's the point of stopping if you're not even going to be able to hit it?!?" Kouga growled as he looked over his shoulder at her sternly.

"Baka! I can shoot it! It's worth a try anyway!!" Kagome said angrily as she fixed Kouga under another one of her stubborn glares. Kouga frowned slightly but shrugged his shoulders.

"You'd better get that jewel back then." Kouga said in his normal carefree voice. Kagome didn't answer, but she frowned in irritation at his arrogant comments.

"Baka…" She muttered slightly before she directed him to a small shrine on the top of a nearby hill. Kagome kept her senses open for the crow and only hoped that it didn't swallow the jewel or cause any trouble until she got back to deal with it. Kouga leapt up the steps in one jump and landed on the ground in front of a small shrine. "Kaede-obachan!" Kagome cried as she ran toward the temple and disappeared inside. Kouga stood outside with his arms crossed over his chest, while he stood tapping his foot in impatience.

"What is it child?" An elderly woman cried as she appeared in front of the distraught girl wearing a white bathrobe with her hair up in a towel.

"I need a bow, quickly!" Kagome said with urgency in her voice as she skidded to a halt in front of the towel-clad woman.

"A bow? Whatever for, child?" Kaede asked as she raised a wrinkled eyebrow in Kagome's direction.

"Well… a crow demon stole the jewel. I can follow it, but I need something to shoot it down with." Kagome said as she flushed in embarrassment.

"Nani?! A crow demon, you say?" Kaede said as her eyebrows knit in concentration. "Let's see… a bow…" She said slowly as she walked towards a small linen cupboard. "Bow… bow…" She was mumbling as she pulled sheets and pillowcases out of the cupboard and began to fling them behind her. "Aha! Here it is!" She said as she pulled a red bow and a quiver of sharp arrows from the very back of the cupboard. "Are you sure you can shoot these?"

"Hai! I've been practicing. See you later, Kaede-obachan!" Kagome said as she waved over her shoulder and took off towards the door to meet with Kouga.

"Strange child…" Kaede said with a frown as she headed back toward the bathroom to finish her bathing ritual.

"Let's go, Kouga-kun!" Kagome cried as she ran out of the shrine pulled the quiver around herself and clutching the bow tightly in her right hand.

"Took you long enough!" Kouga said angrily as he kneeled down for Kagome to climb back onto his back. "Where the hell is the crow?" Kouga demanded as he leapt into the air and landed in a tree at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hmm…" Kagome said as she placed a hand on her chest and closed her eyes. "Let's see…"

"Nani?! You don't know?!?" He demanded as he nearly dropped Kagome in his shock and anger.

"Baka! Give me a chance… Let's see… He's headed south!" Kagome said as she pointed to her left.

"Hai!" Kouga said as he jumped down from the tree and began to run at top speed in the indicated direction. He was faster on foot than he was in the air so he assumed that they would catch up with the creature in not time at all.

"It's closer…" Kagome said as she put a hand over her heart once again to feel out its location. Kouga didn't say anything; he only picked up the pace until he was running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Oi, hime. Aren't we there yet?" Kouga asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Kagome. He was slightly surprised to see that she had an arrow fit onto the string of the bow and was slowly pulling it back until the bow bent more than it was at rest.

"Go!" Kagome cried as she released the arrow into the air. The two of them watched the arrow as they continued to follow the crow. "It's going to hit!" Kagome cried as a smile spread across her face. The arrow headed straight for the crow, who had grown in size considerably after having swallowed the jewel, and just as Kagome thought it would hit… It rainbowed and missed completely. "Eh?" Kouga had been watching as well and nearly dropped her when he saw what a horrible shot she had.

"Oi! I thought you said you could shoot!! What are you aiming at?!?" Kouga demanded as a sweatdrop slid down his face. "How embarrassing…"

"Hey! I just shot a bow for the first time yesterday!!" Kagome said angrily as she frowned deeply. "I really thought it was going to hit, though…" Kagome said as a sweatdrop slid down her forehead in embarrassment.

"Like I thought… women are only good for raising pups…" He thought as he jumped into the air. He figured if he were closer to it, maybe she wouldn't miss as badly the next time.

"You sexist pig!" Kagome cried as she pushed against his back and began to free-fall away from him toward the ground.

"Baka!" Kouga cried as he watched her fall. He spun around in mid-air and began to fall after her. He grabbed her in the air and landed on the ground with her cradled in his arms. "Don't do something so stupid, human!" Kouga growled as he began to scold Kagome.

"If you weren't such a complete jerk maybe I wouldn't have to resort to such things!" Kagome yelled back as she pushed away from him, forcing him to set her down on her feet.

"Mars Flame SNIPER!!" A voice rang out. Kagome and Kouga's argument was cut short as they watched a flaming arrow fly straight toward the lowering crow.

"Now that's a shot!" Kouga said as he watched the arrow made of flame strike the crow in the air. The crow let out a cry and lost some of it's flight feathers so therefore crashed to the ground squawking horribly as he flapped it's wings and struggled to regain flight.

"Show off…" Kagome muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest dejectedly.

"We'll take care of this. You should run while you can." A female voice called out. Kagome turned toward the voice and saw one of the famous Sailor Senshi that protected Tokyo. It was Sailor Mars, the senshi who had used the flame arrow to strike the crow.

"No, you should get out of here! You don't know what that thing is capable of!" Kagome cried as she began to run toward the crow. Kouga followed and scooped Kagome up before he leapt into the air and landed beside the crow just as it took off into the air.

"Kisama…" He muttered as his eyes narrowed at the bird as it struggled to remain air-born. "Shine!" He cried as he brought down his claws onto the crow and shred it to pieces. He landed on the ground with Kagome still in one arm and smirked at the pieces of the crow that lay twitching on the ground.

"Eh? It's still alive?!" Kagome cried as she watched the twitching chunks of flesh in disgust. "Gross…" She muttered as she reached a hand down to find the jewel. "Where is it?" She questioned as she searched for the Shikon no Tama. She jumped back as the pieces began to move and re-combine.

"Baka! Get the jewel before it restores itself!" Kouga said angrily as he pushed Kagome toward the pieces.

"Civilian! Be gone, we will take care of this!" An irritated voice said as a group of four girls landed on the ground across from Kagome and Kouga.

"Get lost!" Kouga said as he raised a hand toward the Sailor Senshi. "You're annoying!"

"You're one of them!!" Sailor Mar said as she pointed to the strangely clad man that stood behind the girl, Kagome, from their school. "What are you doing associating yourself with them, Higurashi-san?!" Mars demanded in suspicion as her eyes narrowed on the dark-haired girl before her.

"Eh? You know my name?" Kagome questioned as she looked up at the Senshi that stood before her.

"Step away from him! He's one of those monsters!" Venus said as she took a step forward. She jumped back and screamed as the crow's foot [2] latched itself onto her wrist. "Iie iie iie!! Get it off!! Get it off!!" She shrieked in terror as the severed foot dug it's claws into her flesh, which caused a small trickle of blood to seep into her white gloves.

"Oh no!" Kagome cried as the crow's large wings opened and it took flight once more. "Bakas! You distracted me!! I could have stopped it if I had the Shikon no Tama it stole!" Kagome cried as panic lanced its way into her face.

"Come on, hime. We have to catch it!" Kouga said as he knelt down for Kagome to climb onto his back. Kagome hesitated for a second before an idea came into her mind. She ran over to the struggling Sailor Senshi and pried the foot off of her wrist. It struggled in her hands, but she held it tightly to keep it from escaping. "What the hell are you doing?" Kouga demanded as he raised an eyebrow and looked at Kagome in suspicion.

"Give me a hand, Kouga-kun." Kagome said as she struggled to hold onto the clawed foot, keep from being scratched, and pulled an arrow from the quiver at the same time. She knelt down and pinned the foot to the ground so she could grab an arrow.

"Nande?" He questioned as he knelt by her side. "What should I do?"

"Hold this." Kagome said as she thrust the struggling foot into his hands. "DON'T let it go!" She warned as an after-thought. She pulled the arrow out smoothly and pulled the red scarf of her uniform from around her throat. "Now, hold onto the foot tightly so I can tie it on." Kagome instructed as she motioned for him to hold the foot on top of the arrow's shaft.

"What is she doing?" Mars asked as she raised an eyebrow in Mercury's direction. The Senshi of water was already typing something into her computer as she analyzed the crow's foot with the data she had already collected.

"Well… It seems there is some attraction between the parts of that bird… If she shoots the arrow, it will have no choice but to strike the main body." Mercury said as she hit a few more keys and then hit enter.

"There!" Kagome said as she tied the knot tightly around the foot. She stood up and notched the arrow onto the red bow and drew the string taut. "Go!" She cried as she released the arrow in the direction of the shrinking crow. Everyone held their breath as the arrow headed straight for the large crow. "Come on… hit…" Kagome was saying quietly as the arrow seemed to pick up speed. The crow was hardly visible on the horizon, but there was a collective gasp as the arrow struck the crow. The moment the arrow struck the bird, a blinding pink light lit up the area and cast a pink glow on everything in the area. "That's not good…" Kagome said as her smile faded. She felt a feeling of dread deep in her stomach as streamers of light shot off from the main 'explosion' and went in every direction imaginable.

"Eh…?" Kouga said and glanced over to see the smile fade from Kagome's face very slowly.

"I don't have a good feeling about this…" Kagome said as the light slowly died away and the shooting balls of light became fewer and fewer until there was only one that floated down toward them like a feather.

"Yatta!!" Venus cried as she jumped up and down. "It's gone!! It's been defeated!!" She cried in excitement. The rest of the Senshi were smiling in triumph as they puffed out their chests. Mars let out a sigh of relief and let a smile grace her lips.

"That was easy." She said with a smile as she turned in Kagome's direction. "That wasn't bad, Higurashi-san." Mar said, but her smile faded when she saw the look on Kagome's face. It wasn't a look of triumph at all… she looked like something awful had happened.

"Erm… Gomen, Kouga-kun." Kagome said as a sweatdrop appeared on her forehead. "I got back the jewel… but…" Kagome paused to think of how to break it to him. She couldn't think of the words to tell him what had happened and instead just held out her hands for him to see.

"Nani?!?!" He cried as he saw what lay in the palm of her hands.

****

Usagi shielded her eyes as they went through the portal. She wasn't sure she wanted to see what was on the other side… it was a grave, after all. She could hear the fabric of his shirt fluttering in a slight breeze and chanced a peek at her surroundings. She immediately wished she hadn't… They were falling! She clung to his shoulders tightly as she felt the wind pick up and whip around her face.

"We're going to die before we even find Sesshoumaru!" Usagi cried in fear as she clung to Inuyasha as tightly as she possibly could.

"Oi! Stop squeezing onna!! I can't breathe!" Inuyasha growled as he tried to pry the girl's hands off of his shoulders.

"Don't let me go!" Usagi cried above Inuyasha's angry yells.

"Let me go! I can't see!" Inuyasha growled as he finally managed to pry her hands free from his shoulders. He held her up by her hands and she immediately buried her face in his chest as they free fell. He was taken aback somewhat and instinctively wrapped his arms around her shaking body. When he looked up, he saw a great skeletal bird flying toward them. "There's our ride." He said as a smirk spread across his face. The bird flew right under them and caught them mid-air before he flew off towards a large set of armor with a skull perched on top of it complete with a helmet.

"So warm…" Usagi mumbled sleepily as she buried her face deeper into Inuyasha's chest. He glanced down at her and his eyes narrowed slightly. Apparently, the poison was still being circulated through her body. She seemed to barely be conscious as she mumbled sleepily into his chest. "More cake, please…" He heard her mumbled and a slight smile touched his lips. _'What a child…'_ He thought as he shook his head to force the smile from his lips. He turned his attention to the approaching remains that were drawing ever closer. The bird fluttered its wings to slow itself and landed on the shoulder armor of the skeletal. This was the first memory of his father that Inuyasha had at all. He had never known him when he was alive, and even if he had, he wouldn't necessarily remember him because when he'd awoken from his slumber, his memories were incomplete. He had begun to figure out the strange visions he'd been having. There was no doubt in his mind, now, that they weren't memories. He felt it in his heart there was something he had forgotten and the visions were merely trying to make him remember.

Inuyasha jumped off the bird and clutched the slumbering girl to his chest. The wound on her shoulder still bled slightly and he noticed the scratches and cuts on her legs, which looked as if they had been from brambles and thorn bushes.

"I'm coming to kill you, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha yelled as he took off at full speed towards a small area between the neck and shoulders of the skeleton where he would be able to enter the inside of the body. The bird had taken him that far so Inuyasha assumed that his brother was inside and perhaps he'd even consider getting that 'treasure' of his father's while he was at it. He fell down inside the body and landed about fifty feet away from his older brother. Sesshoumaru was poised over a small pedestal, which had a sword stuck down into the base. He was glaring at his hand and Inuyasha caught the sent of burning flesh from his brother's direction.

"What's wrong, Sesshoumaru? Can't pull it out?" Inuyasha asked with a large smirk on his face. He felt the girl in his arms shift to look in the direction of Sesshoumaru.

"Eh? Is that the Sword in the Stone?" She muttered deliriously as her eyes went out of focus. "I saw that movie when I was little. Ne, can I try to pull it out? Maybe I'm a princess and didn't know it…"

"Quiet." Inuyasha hissed as the eyes of his older brother turned and fixed on Usagi and Inuyasha.

"So, you brought the human?" Sesshoumaru asked as a smirk played across his lips. "What's wrong, couldn't bare to leave her?"

"Keh! The little brat wouldn't let me go without her. Not like I care, it's her funeral." Inuyasha said carelessly as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Inuyasha-sama!" An elderly voice piped up. "The sword is your inheritance! It's the Tetsusaiga forged from your father's fang. Sesshoumaru couldn't pull it out because it belongs to you! Go get it!" Myouga said as he bounced up and down on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"I'm surprised to see you, Myouga-jiji…" Inuyasha said dryly. "What do I want with that piece of junk anyway? I can take Sesshoumaru on my own."

"Get the sword first! It's said to be one of the strongest weapons ever made." Myouga said as he bounced off of Inuyasha's shoulder and onto Usagi's.

"Humph!" Inuyasha frowned in annoyance. "Stupid junky sword…" He muttered as he leapt into the air and landed next to the sword sticking out of the pedestal. "Then again, if I can pull it out when Sesshoumaru couldn't, that'll piss him off even more." Inuyasha said as his normal smirk returned. He gently set Usagi down on the ground beside him and grabbed the top of the sword.

"Heh! Like a hanyou could pull it out where Sesshoumaru-sama could not!" Jyaken said incredulously. "There's no way a brat like you would be able to pull it out!"

"The barrier… it accepts him?" Sesshoumaru said as his eyes widened slightly when Inuyasha grasped the end of the sword.

"Like I said, it belongs to Inuyasha-sama!" Myouga said confidently as he jumped up and down on Usagi's shoulder. There was a slight groan and Usagi said up, rubbing her eyes with one hand. She stretched and released a small yawn while she sat up to see where her source of warmth had gone.

"Where's my blanket?" She mumbled sleepily as she felt around on the ground around her. She found the red shirt of Inuyasha's and wrapped it around herself as she shivered slightly. She looked up at the silver-haired half demon and a smile touched her lips. "Kawaii…" She murmured. A sweatdrop appeared on the back of Inuyasha's head as he heard her little comments.

"Cute?" He questioned as he turned in her direction. He didn't like being called 'cute' at all; it made him sound like that little kitsune Usagi and that Kagome girl had been so keen about.

"Inuyasha-sama! Pull out the sword!" Myouga ordered as he jumped from the ground, where he had fallen, and back up onto Usagi's shoulder. Inuyashed frowned at being ordered around by a flea but decided that he had better just test his luck against the sword and hope he could manage to extract it from the stone pedestal. He smirked as he began to pull on the sword. It shook violently as he put his full strength into it and sparks of blue and gold shot up from the ground where the sword was embedded.

"How pretty… It looks like fireworks." Usagi said as she smiled and clapped her hands. She giggled once as a particularly large spark was emitted from the stone lit up the area in front of her. Inuyasha growled in annoyance as the sword didn't seem to be loosening any from its home.

"Nani?!" Inuyasha nearly yelled as the shaking stopped and the sparks desisted. "I thought you said I'd be able to pull it out!" Inuyasha growled as he spun around and saw Myouga on Usagi's shoulder as he tied a sack of something onto his back. "It was a nice try, though." Myouga said as a sweatdrop slid down his face.

"Eh?" Usagi questioned as the voice coming from her shoulder finally managed to filter through her hazy state of mind. "A talking flea?" She questioned as she plucked the flea from her shoulder before he could run away. "I've never met a talking flea before…"

"Keh! I don't need some stupid sword to kill him." Inuyasha said confidently as he jumped off the pedestal and faced his brother. He cracked his knuckles and dropped into a fighting stance, ready to attack his brother at the first sign of movement. He frowned slightly as the glowing green whip appeared from Sesshoumaru's poison claw.

"Sugoi! How pretty!" Usagi cried as she slowly climbed to her feet, the talking flea already out of her mind as she dropped him to the ground. "I want it…" She said quietly as she took a shaky step forward toward Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha.

"Sankou Tetsusou!!" Inuyasha shouted as he lunged at his brother with his claws raised. He only met air as Sesshoumaru dodged unperturbed by his brother's rash attacks. Inuyasha was quick for a hanyou, but his speed was no where near as fast as Sesshoumaru's.

"Itai…" Usagi mumbled as she placed a hand over her neck. When she pulled her hand away, the flea was lying flat in the palm of her hand. She was contemplating this when the ground shook and she lost her balance. "Iie!" She cried as she reached out to grab anything to catch her fall. The only thing around was a sword that was sticking out of the ground in front of her. She reached out her hand and grasped it and to her surprise, continued to fall as the sword slipped from the hole in the stone base. She moaned out loud as pain issued from her behind where she had fallen moments before. Her vision had cleared a great deal from earlier, but everything was still moving strangely.

Sesshoumaru took his eyes off of Inuyasha as he heard metal against stone and was shocked at the sight he saw. The blond girl with Inuyasha was lying on the pedestal with the sword in her hand! How had she managed to pull out the sword when both he and Inuyasha had failed? Sure she wasn't human, but she seemed to be really weak besides that healing power of hers. He heard Inuyasha approaching from behind him and dodged the attack only to appear at her side.

"Onna… How did you pull the sword out?" He questioned as his eyes narrowed on her. "Give it to me." He quietly ordered with a glare that promised death if she refused him.

"Iie!" Usagi cried as she clutched the sword while she sat up. "You couldn't pull it out! That means I'm a princess now, ne?" She questioned as she slipped back into her delirious state for a few moments.

"Stop playing around, human! Just give him the sword!" Inuyasha ordered the blond. He didn't want to have her blood on his hands.

"Iie!" Usagi refused adamantly as she clutched the sword as tightly as she could. Sesshoumaru cracked the whip and Usagi closed her eyes, waiting for the glowing weapon to rip through her flesh. She could hear wind in her ears and a blinding white light lit up the area and engulfed them all.

****

::Fin::

April 5, 2004

Oi: Hey!  
**Hime**: Princess (it's the nickname I chose for Kouga to call Kagome since he's a Prince)**  
Nande**: What?  
**Kawaii**: cute

[1] This was the manga version of how he extracted the black pearl and I liked the manga better for this particular part *grins* And Destiny even mentioned that in her review ~.^ You read my mind, ne?

[2] I wanted it to stay slightly the same as the anime/manga version part of the story so I mentioned the foot ~.^ Cuz it was pretty ingenious what Kagome did to kill the crow, you know what I mean?

To those that were upset about no Kagome/Kouga moments in the last chappie, here's almost a FULL chapter of Kagome/Kouga *grins* I think they're such a kawaii couple^^ I LOVE Kagome/Inuyasha couples too, though. It's mostly cuz I really like Kagome, she's a very strong character^^ I like strong female characters (Mitsuki/Full Moon from Full Moon wo Sagashite is another one^^). And though Usagi is ditsy as hell in the anime and stuff, when it comes down to it, she's VERY strong^^ I mean, she's willing to give her life if it means her friends would survive (and that would take A lot to do). Ack! Gomen for the rant^^; I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, I'm currently working on a Harry Potter/Sailor Moon one-shot so I can become a mentor on Usa-chan's site () and I'm having a BLAST writing that too *beams* Come post some fanfiction on my site , I've finally got it working correctly^^ Ja for now!!


	14. Chapter 13 The Search Begins

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Uragirimono

Notes: Gomen gomen gomen! I'm REALLY sorry I haven't updated this story in ages! I've been VERY distracted from writing lately! I know it's been MONTHS since I've updated this story, but here's an 11 page chapter for you. I had about 9 pages done for ages, but I just didn't have the time or motivation to finish this chapter sweatdrop I've also been really stressed because we're having MAJOR financial trouble right now sighs So I quit my job at the grocery store (I hated it there anyway) and I got a better job that pays 80/day doing child car yay And the kids are SOOO sweet! And the parents are the NICEST people in the world! Also, my grandmother died recently so it's been mighty hectic out here. sighs If you want to know more about me or what I've been doing (or not doing), go read my blog (http: or my livejournal (http: the entrees are pretty much the same in both, though. shrugs Anyway, I'm not going to comment on reviews this chapter because I just don't have the time right now. I want to get this posted so you'll stop pouting and/or breathing down my neck. sweatdrop

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me sniffle The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (; that was kinda violent ne? blushes)

Thoughts are '_italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are _'italicized' _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
Change of scene, time, etc…

Chapter 13 - The Search Begins

The sound of rushing wind or rushing water, Usagi wasn't truly sure which it was, filled her ears and drowned out all other sound. A blinding white light forced her to shut her eyes as the rushing sound grew louder. She put her hands over her ears and screamed as pain ripped through her head from the sound that seemed deafeningly loud. Just when Usagi thought that it would never end… everything grew quite quiet… She was dimly aware that she was on her knees on the ground with her hands over her ears. She took her hands off her ears and placed them on the ground so she could catch her breath. _'Nani? Where am I?'_ Usagi wondered as she saw green grass under her hands. She looked up and found herself in a small clearing with trees on all sides.

She stood up and began to walk toward the trees with no real direction in mind; her body seemed to know where it wanted to go… No… that's not it… Usagi wasn't in control of her own body! The sudden realization dawned on her as she tried to raise her arm so she could see the outfit she wore because it was so warm. She wanted to push her sleeve up because the sun beating down on her from the clearing was making her hot. _'Why can't I move?'_ She wondered vaguely as she walked forward purposefully. She could tell that she was holding something in her right hand, but she was unable to see what it was. It was very unnerving for her because it could be anything! She felt herself raising her right arm while her left arm reached over her shoulder and grabbed something from the article strapped to her back. Before her mind could even register what was going on, she her herself speaking.

"Be gone seeker of the Shikon no Tama, or I will end you." Usagi's voice was cold and quiet. She could felt her eyebrows knit in concentration as the arrow was pulled taut against the bowstring with such speed that Usagi hadn't even seen it happened.

She saw a figure in red emerge from the woods in front of her and the arrow was let loose. Usagi watched in amazed shock as arrow after arrow flew from the bow in her hand and effectively pinned the figure to a rather large tree directly in front of Usagi. _'Weird… this girl is really amazing…'_ She thought vaguely as she walked toward the figure pinned to the tree.

"What are your intentions, demon?" She questioned slowly as she felt her eyes narrow on the face of the intruder. _'Inu… Inuyasha?'_ She thought as she recognized the dog demon immediately.

"Keh!" Was his answer as he turned his head to look away from her.

"Leave this place now and I will spare your life." Her cold voice said as she turned away from the half-demon whose clothes were pinning his arms and legs down to the tree. "You must be the hanyou I've heard of that's been roaming around these parts, am I correct?" She said as she glanced back at the pinned boy. When he didn't answer, she turned back to the path ahead of her. "I suppose we shall meet again." Usagi felt her legs moving as she walked away. She reached her hand up to her neck and felt a necklace with a large, round bead hanging from it. She lifted it up and felt her eyes widen as her reflection stared back at her with sad, dead eyes.

Her mind screamed with unanswered questions as the rushing sound filled her ears once more and she felt herself being ripped from the body and flying backward, unable to see where she was headed. Pain throbbed in her head as the sound reached an unimaginable pitch; she squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands over her ears.

"Iie! Stop!" Her own voice brought her back to her senses. When her eyes opened again, she was breathing heavily and staring back into a pair of golden eyes that held hatred she had never seen before. She took a step backward and tripped over something. "Nani? What happened?" She questioned as she looked around her. She had been vaguely aware of where she was and saw Inuyasha standing back quite a ways running toward her. When she glanced back in the direction of the golden eyes, she saw claws coming down toward her with a green gas-like substance coming from them. She held up the sword she forgot she'd been holding and put it in front of her like a shield as darkness descended upon her.

A blinding white light lit up the area, which caused Inuyasha to shield his eyes. Sesshoumaru had been just about to kill Usagi when the light surrounded the girl and blocked everything from view. With his eyes closed, he saw something that surprised him a great deal… a woman with flowing silver hair, an elegant gown, and a glowing golden crescent moon burning on her forehead. She was reaching her hands out to him as a small silver jewel burned brightly in her palm.

"Nani!" He cried as he opened his eyes back up. The light had died down and he watched in shock as Sesshoumaru lunged toward the blond human. He began to run toward her, knowing that he would not make it in time. The poison from his claws struck the girl and melted the wall behind her, burying her in a matter of seconds. His eyes narrowed as anger he hadn't known existed began to build up from the inside. "Sesshoumaru!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "She had nothing to do with this! I'll kill you!" He yelled as he lunged at his older brother. He didn't notice the look of surprise on the older demon's face as his claws ripped through the armor that ran across Sesshoumaru's chest and shoulder.

"Hmm… if I would have known killing that human girl would make you fight, I would have done it long ago." Sesshoumaru said with a smirk as he snapped the glowing whip in his right hand.

"Temee…" Inuyasha growled as he attacked his brother once more.

"Nani! He couldn't even touch Sesshoumaru-sama a few minutes ago!" Jyaken said as he saw Inuyasha's claws rip through the fabric of Sesshoumaru's shirt and scratch the flesh underneath.

"Heh, all of this for one dead human girl." Sesshoumaru said with a smirk. His smirk changed to a frown as he snapped his whip while he jumped into the air. "A hanyou should know his place! And lick the ground! Worthless hanyou!" He growled as he smashed Inuyasha into the ground as if it were nothing.

"This is for Usagi!" Inuyasha yelled as he jumped into the air and slashed his claws across Sesshoumaru's already bleeding chest. The pain didn't seem to phase Sesshoumaru one bit as flecks of blood flew through the air.

"I thought I was a goner!" Usagi cried as she drew in a deep breath. She was breathing heavily as she stood up from the midst of the melted section of bone wearing a long white gown. There was a slight silver glow clinging to her skin and a golden crescent moon on her forehead. Inuyasha stopped his attack when he heard the voice and landed several feet from Usagi.

"Eh? Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Inuyasha questioned as he looked in Usagi's direction.

"Huh?" Usagi looked down at herself and saw a long white dress that seemed to weigh her down as she stepped out of the slimy cocoon Sesshoumaru had tried to encase her within. "Hey! You tried to kill me!" Usagi cried as she pointed the sword toward Sesshoumaru. "I can't believe it!" Usagi bent down and picked up the red shirt Inuyasha had put around her shoulders and held it clutched to her chest in one hand and the sword in the other. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he walked slowly toward her with his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared.

Seiya's head flew up off the pillow as a sudden he felt a strange sensation. There was a sudden power that had flared up with a strength that he had never known existed.

"A new Star Seed has been born…" He said vaguely as the power seemed to dim slightly. He could still feel it, but it was somewhat lessened than what it had been at first.

"Do you think?" Taiki said slowly as he stood up and faced the window.

"Our Princess?" Yaten finished as he too, stood and walked toward the window. The sun was slowly setting behind the clouds in the distance, but it was a very distinct power that could not belong to any of the Sailor Senshi on the planet Earth. It was much too strong to be any of them… so there was only one person it could be.

"Kakyuu-hime…" Seiya breathed as he tried to raise himself from the bed.

"What did you do to it?" Kouga cried as he saw the piece of the jewel lying in Kagome's hand.

"Gomen, I didn't know it would break." Kagome said as she closed her hand around the jewel. "This is bad…"

"All right, now to get rid of the other one!" Sailor Mars said as she jumped down from the tree branch she stood on and landed beside Kagome and Kouga. "Release Higurashi-san, monster!" She cried as she prepared to release another of her flame arrows straight at Kouga.

"Get lost, human!" Kouga growled as he stood in front of Kagome protectively.

"We've got you surrounded so you'd be better off to give up!" Sailor Jupiter said as she landed behind Kagome and Kouga.

"Look, he's not hurting me." Kagome said as a sweatdrop slid down her face. "It's because of him that I stopped the crow!"

"And it's your fault the jewel was shattered, onna!" Kouga growled as he turned to face Kagome.

"Hey! Who's side are you on?" Kagome demanded as she faced Kouga. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, you're the same way Miroku and Sango said you would be. You're a stupid jerk who isn't worth my time or pity!" Kagome said as she turned away from him, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to walk away.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" Kouga demanded as he jumped into the air and landed in front of her. "You have something of mine." He said as he put out his hand.

"Oh, do I?" Kagome asked as she opened her hand to reveal the jewel shard. "Go to hell!" She yelled and slapped him across the face in the process. Kouga fell backward on the ground with the force of her slap and sat there holding his throbbing cheek.

"Iteiteiteite…" He said as he held his cheek. "Oi! Matte, hime!" Kouga said as he followed after the dark-haired girl.

"Oi! We weren't done with you, monster!" Sailor Mars called after the pair as a sweatdrop slid down her forehead.

"I don't think they're listening…" Sailor Mercury said as she touched the side of her visor, which made it retract.

"Kagome-sama!" A voice called from the air. She looked up and waved as she saw Miroku, Sango, and Shippo riding on the back of Kirara. The two of them had apparently stopped at Kagome's house before they had continued on their way to find Kagome so they could pick up Shippo and Kirara as well as their weapons. It was much easier and faster to fly than to run throughout the city. It had been surprisingly easy for Sango and Miroku to find their dark-haired friend, as they only had to follow the bright pink light that had filled the sky several moments before. They were slightly surprised to see those same weird girls in mini-skirts pursuing Kagome and Kouga, though.

"The Sailor Senshi?" Sango questioned slowly as the cat demon landed and the three people riding climbed off.

"Kagome-sama, what happened?" Miroku said as he approached the young priestess-in-training.

"Umm… we had a little accident… I need to go see Kaede-obachan…" Kagome said as she held up the small shard for her companions to see.

"We told you to halt!" Sailor Venus said as she landed in front of Kouga.

"Oi! Leave me alone already!" Kouga growled as he shook his fist at the blond human girl. "No one wants to see some weak human running around in that outfit! Go find someone else to harass!"

"Are you saying that I can't go running around in my school uniform, Kouga-kun?" Kagome questioned as a vein thudded in her forehead. The green skirt she wore was nearly as short as the Sailor Senshis' skirts. "Is it so disgusting to see a _weak_ human dressed this way that you have to say such nasty things?"

"I didn't mean that, hime-sama." Kouga said as a sweatdrop slid slowly down his face. His face turned serious and he took both of Kagome's hands in his own. "Hime, I will take my leave now." He said as he brought her hands to his chest and stared into her eyes. A slight blush touched Kagome's cheeks at the sudden serious look that had spread across his face. "I shall rescue you from these fiends when we next meet."

"That's really not-" Kagome started but was cut off mid-sentence as he leaned forward and placed his lips gently against her forehead in a gentle kiss. Kagome's face turned the color of a tomato at his impulsive move, but before she was able to say anything, he was gone.

"Chotto matte, Kouga!" A familiar voice sounded from behind Kagome. She turned to see blurred figures and a pack of wolves headed in their direction, which caused Kagome to jump out of the way in surprise as they rushed past.

"Ja na, oneechan!" Hakukkai 4 called over his shoulder as the two wolf demons waved back to Kagome. They had apparently been running at full speed since they had been separated from Kouga earlier.

"Oneechan?" Kagome questioned as she ran her finger lightly over the spot on her forehead his lips had brushed across. The skin still tingled from the contact and she was aware that her face was quite warm.

"What's wrong, Kagome-sama?" Miroku's voice broke into Kagome's thoughts. She turned to face him and shook her head with a smile on her face. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Of course he didn't. He's really a sweet guy when you get to know him better." Kagome said as a slight blush touched her cheeks and a small smile crossed her lips.

"I get it, you want him, ne?" A small voice piped up. Shippo seemed oblivious to the shocked expressions on every face and continued as if he had not said anything weird at all. "I'm not sure what that means, but mama said that before about daddy when we were all taking a bath in the hot spring together." A sweatdrop slid down Kagome's face and everyone seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief. To think that a parent would say such things around a young child like Shippo was horrible. They were just glad he didn't know what it meant.

"So, what was that strange light we just saw?" Sango asked to break the silence that had fallen on the small group. A feeling of dread hung in the air as they waited for the answer to that question. Kagome stiffened visibly and then laughed nervously as a sweatdrop slid down her cheek.

"Umm… that was…" Kagome started as she looked down at her hands that still clutched the small fragment. "I sort of… umm… brokethejewel." Kagome said in one breath in the hope that they might not understand her clearly.

"You… what?" Miroku cried as he saw the small shard she held up for them to see. His eyes bulged and Sango's mouth dropped.

"Gomen nasai…" Kagome said slowly. "It was the only way to stop the crow. He was too fast, we couldn't seem to keep up with it, so I shot an arrow at it."

"We should go see Kaede-sama about this. We need someone who knows the capacity of the jewel." Miroku suggested.

"What about Usagi-chan?" Kagome questioned as a sudden look of concern spread across her features.

"Kirara, Shippo, and I will go look for her." Sango suggested as she climbed onto Kirara's back with the kitsune and her boomerang strapped firmly onto her back. "Do you two think you can pick up her scent?" She questioned as she looked down at Kirara and the kitsune seated in front of her on the flying cat.

"I'll do my best." Shippo said as he nodded and turned his face forward with a look of satisfaction at finally being useful.

"If anything happens, get out of there. We'll meet back at Kagome's." Miroku said as the cat's feet left the ground.

"Wakatta!" Sango called back down as Kirara flew higher into the air.

"You couldn't pull the sword out! That means it isn't yours!" Usagi cried as Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed harshly on her.

"Hand it over now or I will kill you, human." Sesshoumaru growled at the strangely clad woman standing in front of him. He was aware that her scent wasn't human, but she still had the same frailty and faults of a weak human, which included having compassion for others. When he had bit down on her neck, she still bled like a human even if her weird powers healed the wound. He growled low in his throat at the mark left on her neck. Who would have thought that he, Sesshoumaru, would have bestowed his mark onto such and unworthy creature.

"Don't be stupid, just give him the sword!" Inuyasha urged her as he wiped more blood from his eye.

"I won't!" Usagi yelled as a determined gleam came into her eye. She lifted the sword and held it up in a defensive way against the advancing dog demon.

"Baka!" Inuyasha growled as he jumped into the air and landed in front of Usagi. He hadn't expected to see the look he saw on Sesshoumaru's face, though. Inuyasha went rigid as the whites of Sesshoumaru's eyes turned blood red and his snout began to lengthen. His youki grew and began to swirl around them and picked up skulls from the floor. His growling echoed off the inside of their father's remains as the youki began to lash out, which sent the flying skulls crashing into Inuyasha who stood in front of Usagi protectively. A gray cloud surrounded Sesshoumaru and they watched as he flew into the air into a ball of light. They were forced to shield there eyes as the light reflected around the cave as bright as the sun. When the light dissipated several minutes later, a great gray and white dog stood in Sesshoumaru's place. He growled menacingly and dropped his head in a defensive stance. Thick drool dripped from between his teeth and landed on the skulls beneath their feet. They sizzled and slowly began to melt, which sounded like an egg cooking in a frying pan 1. A thick gas filled the air with poisonous fumes as the skulls continued to melt under Sesshoumaru's feet.

"What's happening!" Usagi demanded as she took an involuntary step backward. As frightened of Inuyasha as she had been when she'd first met him, it was nothing to how frightened she was of Sesshoumaru at that point. She had never seen Inuyasha transform into a _true_ monster. Sure he talked big, but he was still protecting her from the giant demon that had kidnapped her earlier that day.

"Look out!" Inuyasha cried as he grabbed Usagi around the waist and jumped into the air as a giant paw came down where he and Usagi had been standing a few moments prior. "Kuso!" He growled as he landed near the edge of his father's remains.

"Here, use this." Usagi said as she thrust the sword into Inuyasha's hands. "Use this to fight him. And take this back, I think you need it more." She said as he closed his fingers around the tattered sheath and she draped the red shirt around his shoulder once more. Usagi coughed and fell to one knee a moment later. The air was thick and there was a strange scent and it was hard to see much on the opposite side of the remains.

"Not even a youkai can survive in theses fumes for very long. Head for higher ground!" Piped a small voice from Usagi's shoulder.

"Demo-" Usagi started as she turned to face Inuyasha with a worried look on her face.

"I'll be fine, just go!" Inuyasha ordered as he saw her hesitating to climb up the rib cage. He smiled inwardly at the worried look on her face. It was somehow nice to know that someone was worried about him. He shook that thought from his mind and turned his attention back to the snarling, drooling dog demon that he was preparing the fight. "I'll follow once I deal with this bastard!"

"Hai!" Usagi said as she turned and reached for the ribs that were lowest to the ground.

"All right, let's see if this sword is really worth anything." Inuyasha said to himself as he tucked the sheath into his belt and slowly pulled the sword from it's tattered cover. He looked skeptical by the tarnished, nicked up blade before he lunged at his much larger brother with the sword raised. "Take this!" Inuyasha cried as he brought the sword down on his brother's left shoulder. The sword clanged loudly and bounced off the thick fur of the huge dog, which did not even leave behind a small scratch. "Shimatta!" He said as he dodged Sesshoumaru's teeth at the last second. "Oi! Myouga-jiji!" Inuyasha called in Usagi and the flea demon's direction further up the rib cage. He narrowly dodged the swipe of Sesshoumaru's abnormally large paw and landed awkwardly several paces to his right. "I thought this sword was my inheritance! It can't even bruise, let alone cut 2!"

"Well, it is probably more like a treasured antique than an actual weapon." Myouga called back down as he strapped a large bundle onto his back. Usagi was already near the top of the skeleton by this point as the fumes rose in continued torrents, higher by every passing moment.

"Kuso…" Inuyasha mumbled as he struck again and landed several feet to the left of Sesshoumaru. His body seemed reluctant to move and he coughed weakly. "I can't take much more of these fumes." He mumbled as he leapt into the air to escape the clutches of the potent cloud of poisonous shouki. He heard a loud growl beneath him and turned just as Sesshoumaru's teeth closed around his middle and sunk into the soft flesh of his chest and back. He cried out in pain and anger as the huge demon dropped back down into the bottom of the chamber. Before Inuyasha could get his bearings back enough to attempt a break out from his slimy prison, Sesshoumaru leapt into the air and crashed completely through the metal plate armor on the shoulder of their father's remains.

Usagi cried out in surprise and shielded her face and head from the debris that showered down on her from the fight between the two brothers. She lost her balance as a tremor ran through the ground she stood on and fell to the ground painfully. When the shaking stopped, she slowly picked up her head and saw that Inuyasha was pinned between Sesshoumaru's jaws.

"Piece of junk!" Inuyasha growled as he turned the sword in his hand and jabbed it harshly into Sesshoumaru's open eye. This caused the dog demon to let out a howl of pain as he released Inuyasha and brought his paw up to his eye to rub the pain out.

"You hit him!" Usagi cried happily as Inuyasha landed on his feet and fell to his knee with his hand over the puncture wounds on his chest. His back was pretty much okay because the Hinezumi no Koromo had protected him, but he hadn't had a chance to close it over his chest.

"Are you blind! This thing isn't going to work! It's a piece of junk!" Inuyasha growled as he jumped into the air and landed beside Usagi.

"Is that it? There's no hope for us?" Usagi questioned as the light began to fade from her eyes. "Are we going to die?" Usagi questioned as tears filled her eyes.

"Ne… Are you crying?" Inuyasha asked as he caught the salty scent of tears as she lowered her face and brought her hands up to her eyes. "Stop crying!" He yelled over the sound of her soft sobs

"I don't want to die here…" Usagi sobbed quietly. "In this place I don't know... Why shouldn't I cry? Should I laugh instead!" She said as her sadness and despair gave way to anger.

"You should shut up and let me protect you! 3" Inuyasha yelled back as he glared at the blond girl standing in front of him. Usagi's eyes widened in shock at his words. '_Did he really say what I thought he said?'_ Usagi thought to herself as a slight blush touched her cheeks. He turned his back toward Usagi and walked back toward the waiting dog demon that was currently rubbing his eye with a huge paw.

He paused in front of Sesshoumaru who growled low in his throat and narrowed his eyes angrily on the half dog demon that approached him. Inuyasha didn't say anything but put the sword in front of him protectively to prepare for an attack.

"Nani?" Inuyasha said as he looked down at the sword in his hand. It had begun to do something very strange… It was pulsing, as if it had a heartbeat of it's own and power radiated from the blade. "The Tetsusaiga… it's pulsing…" He said as the power grew with each pulse. Right before his eyes, the sword grew in size, the blade repaired itself, and fur sprouted around the bottom of the blade. "It looks like a fang…" Inuyasha said slowly as the weight of the sword increased slightly. "Is this the true power of the sword?" Inuyasha mused to himself as a smirk spread across his lips slowly. "I don't really care either way, but I'm going to kick your sorry ass!" Inuyasha said as he leapt into the air and charged at Sesshoumaru with the sword raised high above his head. "Shine!"

"Nani?" Usagi said as she watched in horrified wonder. The blade sunk into the soft flesh of Sesshoumaru's left paw and drew upward along the length of the arm. Near the top of the arm, Inuyasha brought the sword down and severed the paw right at the base. Usagi was forced to turn her face away as blood poured from the wound and covered the surface of the shoulder armor of the giant skeleton.

"Here we are, two brothers fighting over our father's sword." Inuyasha said slowly as Sesshoumaru slowly stood back up onto three paws. "But you know what? We're nothing compared to him. We're just two little fleas jumping around on his body. And I'm done messing around!" Inuyasha yelled as he lunged at the larger dog demon and slashed his sword across the older demon's chest. He howled in rage as the blow struck and fell off of the huge plate armor backward. He free fell for a moment before he was surrounded in a ball of golden light that disappeared after a second.

"Did you find her scent yet, Shippo?" Sango asked as Kirara's feet brushed the tops of a few trees. When they'd reached the edge of the city, Shippo said that Usagi's scent was headed into the forest. They had tried to walk for a few minutes but the brush was too thick so they'd taken back to the sky.

"I'm not that good with scents…" Shippo said as a sweatdrop slid slowly down his face. "But Kirara should be able to pick up on her scent, right Kirara?" The flying cat growled quietly in response and continued to fly low over the trees along an invisible line. Shippo and Kirara had rushed to find Kagome and the others directly after they had seen Usagi kidnapped by Sesshoumaru hours before. Unfortunately, it had taken them much longer to find Kagome and the Shikon no Tama than they had expected so there was no sign of Usagi or the demon lord.

"Look there!" Sango said as she pointed a finger toward a large clearing just outside of a small town.

"What is that?" Shippo asked as his eyes widened and he stared at the black portal that seemed to engulf the entire field. As they approached the 'portal', a ball of white light flew out of it and disappeared into the distance.

"I don't like the looks of that…" Sango said as she urged Kirara to land near the strange apparition in the middle of the field. There was no one around the sort of black hole and it didn't seem to suck in any of the surrounding material so it was doing no harm at the moment. She did not want to enter it to see where it went, but she knew she needed to do something about it to stop innocent people from being mixed up in it. Kirara landed softly on the green grass and Sango jumped off with her hiraikotsu held in one hand prepared to throw if she needed. "Shippo, stay back for now, I want to take a closer look."

She approached the portal cautiously and just when she thought that nothing would happen, two bodies tumbled from the opening and landed roughly on top of her.

"Baka!" Inuyasha growled as he struggled to free himself from the pile of bodies on the ground. "If you weren't pulling on me, I would have landed just fine!"

"Mou! You're so mean, Inuyasha-kun!" Usagi whined as she disentangled one long streamer of hair from Inuyasha's ear-tails.

"Excuse me! Would you mind getting off me!" An agitated voice said over the sound of the fighting duo.

"Eh?" Usagi said and looked down to see she was sitting on a large boomerang. "Ah! Gomen nasai, Sango-chan!" Usagi cried as she jumped up and leaned down to help the taijiya to her feet. "Are you all right?" She asked as she brushed some dirt off Sango's shoulder.

"I'm all right, what happened here?" She asked as she looked up at the portal. The black crackling lightening was weakening and the hole was shrinking at an alarming rate until finally it was a black speck falling toward Inuyasha's upturned face. Usagi and Sango watched as the small black bead landed directly in Inuyasha's eye and he blinked it back into place.

"It seems that this story might take a while to tell." Usagi said slowly as she glanced in Inuyasha's direction. "I'll wait until we're with the others to start telling it, all right?"

"Aa, that would probably be best." Sango said with a small nod.

"Inuyasha, are you going to go back with us?" Usagi asked as she turned to the silver-haired boy. "You don't really have a place to go, do you?"

"Keh! I don't need charity from you, onna!" Inuyasha growled as he crossed his arms over his chest and faced the opposite direction.

"It's not charity, I just thought that, given what just happened, we were friends." Usagi said as she smiled warmly at Inuyasha. He was taken off-guard by this sudden change of facial expression on the girl and began to sputter.

"N-n-nani? Friends? Keh! You thought wrong, then!" Inuyasha growled as he regained his composure a few moments later.

"But you said you would protect me, remember?" Usagi said as she gave Inuyasha a puzzled look. "At least come back for dinner, you must be starving. I'm right, aren't I?" Usagi grinned broadly as a loud sound came from the region of Inuyasha's stomach. "Higurashi-mama is a really good cook. We'd better hurry or Kagome-chan will eat it all, though." Usagi didn't give him time to argue, grabbed his arm, and climbed on Kirara's back with Sango and Shippo.

"There they are…" Kagura mused to herself from a huge feather that was floating high above the ground. She had been flying around the Japanese countryside for hours searching for the renegade youkai who had left the main encampment underground. "There is the wolf clan… The mountains in the north… It seems that they've broken into a few different factions…" She mused as a smirk played across her lips.

"Naraku-sama already knew of the wolf clan's location…" Kanna's raspy voice interrupted. "Naraku-sama has given us a new assignment."

"New assignment?" Kagura questioned as she looked down at the white child. Her mirror was glowing slightly and grew dim just as quickly. Moments later, a small swarm of saimyoushou approached from the south and by the buzzing, Kagura was able to understand this 'new mission'. "So that light we saw?"

"It was the Shikon no Tama shattering…" Kanna finished quietly. "Naraku wishes you to start to gather the pieces."

"Humph!" Kagura grunted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So I have to do his dirty work, huh?"

"We were created from Naraku so it is our duty to serve him." Kanna said softly from her place on the feather beside the taller detachment.

"Hai hai…" Kagura said as she waved a dismissive hand in Kanna's direction. _'I'll play along with his little game for now.'_ Kagura thought to herself as a frown crossed her lips. _'Just until I can find someone who is strong enough to defeat Naraku and set me free. I don't like taking orders from him or that dead priestess Kikyou.'_

"Kikyou-sama," Naraku said as he bowed beside the large canopy bed. She was becoming stronger every day and with a few more souls, she might even be able to leave the bed or even the safety of the cave. She was a very powerful miko, after all. It was only natural that she may go put a barrier around their headquarters. Naraku had already placed his own barrier around their hideout to keep any unsuspecting human from finding them. A holy barrier would be better, though. It would hide their youki so if a human with spiritual sense approached, they would be none the wiser that something evil was lurking around. "The Shikon no Tama has been shattered by your reincarnation. I have sent my servants to begin collecting the fragments."

"It has shattered?" Kikyou questioned as she swung her feet off the edge of the bed and changed to a sitting position. "Interesting… All of the shards are to be brought directly to my hand, understand?"

"Hai, Kikyou-sama." Naraku said as a slight smirk played across his lips. He rose from his bowed position and moved to sit next to Kikyou on the bed. "You should rest, Kikyou-sama." Naraku said slowly as he draped an arm lazily around her shoulders. _'Just a bit longer…'_ He thought to himself as he smirked at the back of the dark-haired girl's head. _'Once I have the Shikon no Tama, I will have no more use for you, Kikyou. With the jewel, I'll be able to rid myself of this infernal human heart.'_

"I'm fine, Naraku." Kikyou said as she placed her feet on the floor and rose from the bed. This time the shinidamachou circled around her waist but did not hold her up. "The souls of dead women have brought strength to this fake body." Kikyou said as she looked down at her hands. The body was made from grave dirt and her bones, but it would do for now. It would work until she had her revenge; she was now free to hate. She hated that blond miko who had betrayed her, she hated the jewel for choosing said miko, and she hated Inuyasha for letting her die. _'They both betrayed me…'_ She thought to herself as a deep frown crossed her lips. Her spiritual power had returned in full force, it was only physical strength that she was lacking now. Just a few more days and she would be able to do as she pleased once more.

"Do you wish for the healing girl to be taken care of, Kikyou-sama?" Naraku asked as he rose from the bed to stand in front of the weakened miko.

"No, I shall deal with her myself when my strength has returned." Kikyou said coldly as she frowned. "Just gather the fragments as quickly as possible, I wish to return to a real body instead of this fake one."

"So that's how it was…" Miroku said after Usagi had finished telling the group what had happened through the strange portal.

"I can't believe you broke it, Kagome-chan!" Usagi said as a sweatdrop slid down her face. "That sounds more like something _I_ would do. I'm the klutz, after all." She continued with another embarrassed look. "So, where should we start looking for the jewel, huh?" Usagi questioned as she looked at Sango and Miroku.

"I'm not sure, but I think if the shards are close I'll be able to find them." Kagome said slowly as she scratched her chin. "I mean, when it shattered I was able to find the piece that was left in the crow. If they're not in Tokyo, though…" Kagome started as a sweatdrop slid down her face this time.

"That means we'll have to miss school! Yatta!" Usagi cried out happily. Usagi had never been the best student in the world. There was hardly a day when she didn't have detention. It had been that way for a number of years. She would daze into space or fall asleep during class and the only time her homework was done was if Kagome or Souta helped her with it. Despite his age, Souta was a very smart boy and he took charge if Kagome was busy with something else. Even if he didn't know the answers, he would help her look up definitions and stuff in books.

"If we miss school we'll get behind though!" Kagome said in outrage. "It's almost time for the entrance exams! How are we going to be able to get into a good school if we aren't able to study?"

"Hai hai, Kagome-chan…" Usagi said sadly as she let out a disappointed sigh.

"What about you, Inuyasha?" Usagi questioned as she looked at the silver-haired boy. "Are you going to help us complete the jewel?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha grunted in between bites. "Why should I help a few pathetic humans like you, huh?"

"If you do, I'll show you how to use your sword." Usagi said with a smile. She had talked with the flea Myouga a little while ago while Inuyasha was outside pouting. The flea had told her about Inuyasha's human mother and how the Tetsusaiga was created for his father to protect her. That was why it reacted the way it did when Inuyasha said he was protecting her.

"What would you know about it?" Inuyasha growled as he looked at the blond suspiciously. The food Kagome's mother had prepared was really good, especially something she called 'Cup Ramen'. He wasn't about to let his guard drop, though. Its not like he couldn't take these people on, but he just found it very difficult to trust anyone. He had been alone for so long that being around people seemed bizarre. It was especially strange because they didn't seem to mind that he was a hanyou. They were unlike the humans he had grown up around. They disliked and feared him because he had a demon for a father, though he had never shown any sign of hostility toward humanity. Why would he? His mother had been a human!

"Well, it will work forever if you keep protecting me." Usagi said with a smile as Higurashi-mama 5 placed a piece of chocolate cake in front of her. "Ooo! Cake! Arigato, Higurashi-mama!" Usagi said as her mind was drawn away from the subject of the strange sword that was Inuyasha's inheritance.

"It's so nice to have a full house." Higurashi-mama said as a smile spread across her face. She walked around the table placing plates with cake in front of the people sitting at the table. "You're all welcome to stay as long as you like."

"So you had the Shikon no Tama all along?" Grandpa was questioning Kagome for the twentieth time that night. They had gone over what had happened in the last few days about a dozen times but it seemed the old guy was still missing something.

"This is indeed bad…" Kaede was saying as she set her cup of tea back on it's saucer. They had called and asked her to come over so they could discover what to do about the shattering of the jewel. "Minna! Quiet down!" Kaede said over the racket the group of people was making at the table. "Now listen, you are all in some way responsible for the shattering of the jewel. Because of that, you must all gather the pieces together to restore it."

"But how many pieces are there?" Kagome asked as her attention focused on the older woman.

"There could be a few pieces, and there could be a few hundred. I know not the number, but even one shard in the hands of a demon is enough to double their power. It's not only demons we must worry about either." Kaede said as she paused for another sip of her tea. "Humans with darkness in their hearts will seek the jewel and use it to bring their desires to reality. You must work together to gather the fragments or our world will be plunged into total chaos. We are lucky that the demons have remained in hiding for the time being, but they will not stay that way for long. Not with the prospect of power laid out in front of them."

"Hai!" Everyone said in unison, except Inuyasha muttered a quiet 'keh' instead. He'd decided earlier that he would stick with them until the jewel was completed. After that, he planned to kill them and take the jewel for himself. Besides, he wanted to find more out about the blond before he got rid of her, and it seemed that the only one with the ability to see the shards was probably Kagome.

****

:Fin:

**February 9, 2005**

****

Iteiteiteite: I know I didn't spell this right, basically "ouch ouch ouch", this is what it sounds like when a character says 'ouch' more than once in the anime shrugs.  
**Youki**: A term used in Inuyasha referring the special power demons possess (its almost like clouds that surround the demon that they can use, but you can't see it).  
**Shimatta**: Shoot, darn (light curse)  
**Myouga-jiji**: Old man Myouga (fairly rude)  
**Shouki**: A term used in Inuyasha referring to Poison Gas/Liquid (Naraku is known best for using this)  
**Hinezumi no Koromo**: Robe of the Fire Rat (this is the red robes that Inuyasha wears. It's like armor).  
**Shine**: Die  
**Saimyoushou**: These are Naraku's poison insects. I'm not sure I have the spelling correct, I will change it when I re-watch a few episodes it if is incorrect.  
**Miko**: priestess

1. giggles This is just a reference to that goofy commercial we saw when we were kids where someone holds up and egg and says "This is your brain", then they crack it open into a hot frying pan and say "This is your brain on drugs".  
2. This line is from the dubbed anime. I prefer the subtitled anime (cuz I hate the American voices . ) but I chose to use this one line.  
3. This line is from the dubbed anime as well, but I just think it's kind of cute so I threw it in here .  
4.Hakukkai: I'm sorry, I read the name wrong off the fansubs sweatdrop Anyway, I believe this is right, sorry if it's not sweatdrop  
5. Until I find out her first name, I'm going to refer to her as "Higurashi-mama" because writing 'Kagome's mom' is a pain in the butt!

That's it for now, sorry for the long wait on this chapter sweatdrop Like I said, I've had a lot going on lately. Please review or email me at I hope to hear from you! Ja ne! I also want to let you know that I have a Sailor Moon/Harry Potter story in the works. I have over 30 pages already, but I'd like to post a bunch at a time so people can't bug me too much about updates . Or maybe I'll just write the whole thing (or most of it) and post it chapter-by-chapter every week until I run out and have to write more shrugs I dunno what I'm gonna do yet. Keep on the look-out for that, it's called **"Always Late"**.


	15. Chapter 14 Selenityhime

**Uragirimono**

Notes: Okay, sorry for the long wait, I've had some major writer's block. I'm not going to blab too much at the top here because I just want to post this chapter, please review and let me know how I'm doing

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me sniffle The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (; that was kinda violent ne? blushes)

Thoughts are '_italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are _'italicized' _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
llooolloooll Change of scene, time, etc…

**Chapter 14 - Selenity-hime**

"Odango!" A familiar voice called out as Usagi and her newfound friends walked toward the school building. After everything that had happened, it was strange for Usagi to go back to school with the same boring classes and such. She was extremely nervous about attending school simply because she wasn't sure if they would be attacked while class was going on. She didn't want any innocent people to get mixed up in the crossfire.

"Eh? Seiya-kun?" Usagi questioned as she looked back at the dark-haired idol. His arm was in a sling as he approached her group. Taiki and Yaten followed behind her, neither looked too happy to see her.

"I'm sorry you were hurt, Seiya-kun." Usagi said as she bowed and closed her eyes shamefully.

"Daijoubu, odango. I would do it again if you were in danger." Seiya said as he ruffled her hair with his free hand.

"They didn't keep you in the hospital for very long, did they?" Usagi said as she smiled up at Seiya.

"It wasn't as bad as everyone seemed to think, and I heal pretty fast so that helps." Seiya said as he began to walk toward the school with Usagi. Kagome, Sango, and Miroku were chatting quietly amongst themselves as they approached the building.

"Usagi-chan," Sango broke into their conversation after they had entered the building. "I think you need to touch up your make-up a little bit." She said with a serious look on her face.

"But I'm not wearing any-" Usagi started, then stopped when she saw the serious look on her face. Sango tipped her head slightly to the side in a manner that Seiya couldn't decipher and Usagi's face turned to peer in that direction. She saw a glint of silver in a tree outside of the building and her face fell. "Ah! Yeah, I need to go fix my make-up a bit, ja ne Seiya-kun!" Usagi called as she and Sango ran in the direction of the restroom. They turned a corner and headed for the nearest exit. Kagome and Miroku hadn't followed; they were headed to their classroom. They had decided the night before that neither Usagi nor Kagome should be left alone at any point. They were both too vulnerable to attack if they were alone.

"Baka Inuyasha…" Sango muttered as she pulled Usagi out a side entrance and they headed for the tree out front of the school. They heard the warning bell inside of the school and the grounds began to clear out very quickly as people rushed into the building. They reached the tree and peered up at the silver-haired dog demon.

"Inuyasha!" Usagi called up the tree to the half-demon who appeared to be napping. "I know you can hear me!" She called again; she was rewarded with a slight twitch of the ear. "Mou! You're not going to make me climb up there, are you?" Usagi whined. Sango sighed in exasperation. Inuyasha was really a stubborn guy. They had told him not to follow them to the school and he had done exactly what they hadn't wanted him to do. He was very defiant. "Oi! Inuyasha!" Usagi called again, his ear twitched once more. "Ne, Sango-chan, you should go inside. If anything happens, Inuyasha is right here. Besides, it's a study hall first period."

"I can't just leave you here with him," Sango said as she glared up at the half-demon in the tree. "I don't trust him."

"Daijoubu," Usagi said as she smiled at the taijiya warmly. "He protected me before, he's a friend. I trust him. Please trust my judgement, ne?" Sango sighed in defeat. Usagi didn't look it, but she was just as stubborn as Inuyasha was in some ways. She was also way too trusting for her own good.

"Fine, but make it quick. I don't like leaving you out here alone after everything that's happened these past few days." Sango said slowly as she glanced up at the dog demon. "If you let anything happen to her, I'll kill you myself, Inuyasha!" Sango called up the tree so the dog demon could hear. There was a slight twitch by his eye when these words reached his ears, but that was all the reaction that she received.

Once Sango was well on her way back into the school, Usagi began the difficult task of climbing the tree. Usagi had never been the best a tree climbing. She had broken her arm at the age of ten when she'd tried to climb the tree in her yard. Her brother, Shingo, had to run to the grocery store to find their mother since she had been out shopping. It had been an experience that Usagi would never forget. She had been forced to lie on the ground for nearly and half an hour before her mother and brother got back from the store. They had to call the ambulance because they only had one car and her father was using it because he was at work.

Usagi looked up and saw that she only needed to go up a few more branches to reach Inuyasha's perk and hoped that she didn't have the same misfortune befall her again. Two more branches… one more branch… Usagi gasped in shock as the branch she stood on gave a menacing crack and she was falling. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the impact; something closed around her wrist sharply. She peeked open one eye and looked up. Inuyasha had leaned over and grabbed her wrist as she had started to fall.

"Keh, you're such a klutz." He said lazily as he pulled her up onto the sturdy branch he lay on. She straddled the branch as if she were riding a horse facing Inuyasha. "What do you want, anyway?" He asked as he leaned back against the branch and closed his eyes.

"I just wanted to know why you followed me. You know you can't be seen by these people, they don't know about youkai or hanyous," Usagi said as she looked at Inuyasha with concerned eyes. "Besides, someone might recognize you as the person that hurt Seiya-kun."

"Heh, you mean that pretty boy that was talking to you a few minutes ago?" Inuyasha asked as he opened his eyes and smirked at the blond girl. Usagi puffed out her cheeks in agitation.

"At least he feels concern for people other than himself!" Usagi said as her eyes narrowed on Inuyasha. All she received for an answer was a soft 'keh'. "Don't 'keh' me, Inuyasha." Usagi said in annoyance as she shifted her position on the tree branch. It wasn't a very comfortable place to sit. "I was worried someone would see you and try to do something." Usagi said as her annoyed look changed to one of worry.

"Don't waste your time worrying about me, Usagi." Inuyasha said in a bored voice as he gazed off to the left. "I can take care of myself."

"Eh?" Usagi said quietly as a sudden realization dawned on her. "You just said my name!" Usagi said as she pointed a slim finger at the dog demon. "That's the first time you've said my name!"

"…" Inuyasha didn't even look in the blond's direction. Usagi saw a slight tick in his face, though.

"I knew it!" Usagi called as she giggled. "You're all talk, you don't hate me at all!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha said as he refused to meet the blond's eye. For some reason, he couldn't find it in himself to tell the girl that he hated her or even disliked her. She was a welcome change from all of the humans he had ever known. She didn't seem to care at all that he had demon blood in him. What an odd girl indeed…

"Ne, Inuyasha?" Usagi started as she turned her attention to the sky. "Will you help us? You know, gather the pieces of the jewel?"

"Humph, I'll gather the pieces myself and become a full demon. Then I won't have any use for weak creatures like you." Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"You know you're a really bad liar," Usagi said thoughtfully as she watched a cloud shaped like a flower float by in the sky. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at this comment, it reminded him of the incident with the television at Kagome's shrine. She was the bad liar, he was telling the truth. He would kill or drop them as soon as the Shikon no Tama was in his hand. They were just humans; it's not like they really meant anything to him. A hanyou didn't belong with humans or demons; the blond girl had no way of understanding the way he felt about anything. "Ne, Inuyasha, when do you think they'll come after us again?"

"No clue." Inuyasha said as the subject was pushed to the side. He put his hands behind his head and lounged back against the tree once more in a bored manner. The blond girl really got under his skin at times, but she intrigued him somehow. He shook the thought from his head and turned his mind back to the strange visions. Usagi seemed to be the reincarnation of the blond girl from the visions; there was no other explanation for it. She was a photocopy of the girl he remembered, even if his memories were fuzzy and incomplete. He felt a longing to see the rest of the visions, but also willed them away. He was worried that the visions would make him see something inside himself that he wasn't ready to see. He had denied having a human heart even though he had a human mother ever since his awakening. The only human feeling that he felt was his attachment for the dark-haired miko in the youkai cavern.

Usagi shifted her weight again as her position in the tree became unbearably uncomfortable. Her hand slipped over the bark of the branch and she fell face-forward right into Inuyasha's lap. Inuyasha's arm instinctively reached out to her shoulders to steady her as he sat up to keep her from falling. Their faces were mere inches apart as a bright blush broke out across Usagi's face.

"You really are a klutz," Inuyasha murmured as he gently pulled the blond girl into his arms. Usagi felt her cheeks burning as Inuyasha embraced her tightly.

llooolloooll

"You're tardy, Tsukino Usagi." The teacher said as Usagi entered the classroom a little while later. A small sweatdrop slid down the back of Usagi's head. "Since this is a study hall, I will let it slide this time. You will receive an after school detention the next time, though."

"Hai." Usagi said as she blushed ferociously and hurried to her seat. She sat down in her normal seat and prepared for another boring lecture from their teacher.

"What happened, Usagi-sama?" Miroku asked as Usagi sat down by her friends. There was still about ten minutes left before their next period so she had time to tell them what was going on. She left out the last part where Inuyasha hugged her, but her cheeks burned nevertheless at the memory.

"I think he's going to help us find the shards, though." Usagi finished as a smile touched her lips. Inuyasha was really turning out to be someone she could trust. She just had to find meaning from the strange vision, though. Was it a memory of a past life? Or was it just a strange vision she had been given when that strange power had warmed her from within and healed her wounds.

"All right, study hall is over! Please take your assigned seats!" The voice of their sensei called over the low din of the people in the classroom. As quietly and quickly as possible, the students rearranged their desks and took their proper places. "Please turn your books to page 157 and read the first three paragraphs to yourselves silently."

Usagi sighed and began to leaf through her book to the proper page. Another boring day of school ahead of her. At least she had something to look forward to when they were out for the day. Inuyasha was waiting outside for her in the tree in front of the school.

llooolloooll

Usagi stretched as she walked out onto the roof of the school for lunch. She and her rag-tag group had decided that was the best place for them to congregate so they would be able to see if any demons were approaching the school building. It didn't seem that they were interested in their group any longer, though. Now that the jewel was shattered, their attention was focused elsewhere. Usagi walked to the fence on the edge of the roof and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Inuyasha!" She called as loud as she could muster. She had told him about their meeting place and offered to share the lunch Higurashi-mama had made for her with him. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome had already torn into their lunches when Inuyasha climbed up over the fence. He jumped down and landed next to Usagi with the usual scowl on his face.

"What the hell are you yelling about now?" Inuyasha demanded grumpily as he looked down at the blond girl.

"It's lunch time," Usagi said as she held up a rather large box wrapped in a bandana of some sort. "I'm sure you're hungry, you can't have eaten, you've been sleeping in that tree all day."

"You're annoying…" Inuyasha said as he walked past Usagi and sat down cross-legged with the rest of the group. Usagi followed and sat next to him, undoing the knotted fabric as she sat down.

"Ta-da!" Usagi said as she pulled the lid off the top of her lunch. The box was positively _heaped_ with food as Usagi picked up her chopsticks and her spare chopsticks. "Ikidekimasu!" Usagi said as she dug into the box.

"Mou! Math class was so hard today!" Kagome moaned as she pulled her notes out of her bag. "I can't believe he's testing us on polynomials already! We just started them the beginning of this week and I haven't had a chance to study with everything that's happened!"

"Daijoubu, we'll go through it together." Sango reassured the dark-haired girl. She had been lucky, though. Since she and Miroku had just transferred in, they were just using the test as a gauge to judge how far they had gone in their previous schools. Though no one was really fooled to believe that Miroku belonged in their school. He looked like he should have already graduated High School, though his perverted demeanor made them see him as being younger.

"Oi, Odango!" A familiar voice called out as they heard the sound of a door opening. Usagi choked on her onigiri and bits of rice flew onto the rooftop.

"Osuwari!" Usagi said as she heard his footsteps coming closer. Inuyasha slammed into the roof and Usagi quickly pulled the bandana her lunch had been wrapped in over Inuyasha's head to hide the dog-ears on his head. Too bad the bandana was purple with little white kittens and silver crescent moons.

"I've been looking all over for you, odango." Seiya said as he sat down on the opposite side of Usagi. She had just finished tying the bandana under Inuyasha's head as the half-demon sat up rubbing his face.

"Baka onna!" Inuyasha spat out. "If you do that one more time, I'll-" _Bam!_

"If I do what, one more time?" Usagi questioned as she took another bite of her onigiri. She had muttered 'sit' out of the corner of her mouth so only she could hear. Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he sat up, but said nothing more.

"Who's your… ummm… interesting friend?" Seiya asked as he noticed the feminine bandana tied around the silver-haired guy's hair.

"Him? Oh, he's no one. He just came for lunch, he'll be leaving soon." Kagome said to try and save Usagi from thinking up a lie. Usagi wasn't so good at making up mistruths and lies. If she was a klutz when she was walking, imagine how klutzy her mouth could get when she was nervous.

"I finally managed to shake off the fan club to come and talk to you, odango. Good idea of hiding out on the roof." Seiya said as he turned his attention away from the pouting silver-haired dog-demon and onto the blond odangoed girl beside him. Usagi laughed nervously as a sweatdrop slid down the back of her head.

"I really, umm, just wanted some fresh air. There were too many people in the grounds." Usagi said sheepishly.

"I agree, they just seem to flock to us." Seiya said with a heavy sigh.

"Well, that tends to happen when you become a pop star." Sango said dryly as she watched Seiya run his fingers through his hair. She took another bite of her rice and watched the dark-haired guy flirt with Usagi, who seemed oblivious to his pickups. The vein in Inuyasha's forehead pulsed as Usagi chatted happily with the dark-haired idol. Seiya's hand slid behind Usagi's back and he pulled her close to whisper something into her ear. Usagi's cheeks turned bright pink at the contact from the dark-haired idol and didn't say anything in return.

"Get your hands off her." A low voice growled as a hand clamped down on Seiya's shoulder. Usagi looked up to see a very angry Inuyasha growling at Seiya.

"Inuyasha?" Usagi questioned as Seiya stood up, Inuyasha's hand still on his shoulder. Seiya was only about an inch taller than Inuyasha, but didn't seem intimidated by the glare he was receiving from the half-demon.

"I think you need to remove your hand." Seiya said as he pried Inuyasha's clawed hand from his shoulder. "What does it matter to you if I speak with odango? By the length, style, and color of your hair, the length of your nails, and the pretty purple bandana on your head, you shouldn't be jealous. Unless you're jealous she's getting the attention instead of you?" Seiya questioned as he dropped Inuyasha's hand.

"N… nani?" Inuyasha questioned as a sweatdrop slid down the back of his head. Miroku and Sango snorted into their food and Usagi just stared on oblivious to the insinuation. "Did you just call me gay?" Inuyasha demanded as he raised a fist to the dark-haired idol. Seiya looked amused for a second, then slightly puzzled.

"You're not? I was sure you were…" He mused to himself, then scratched his chin in thought. "Then are you jealous that you're not being included or something?"

"Temee…" Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he cracked his knuckles. "I'll tear out your throat…"

"Osuwari." Usagi said as she noticed that trouble was brewing. "Ne, maybe you should go, Seiya-kun. Besides, lunch is nearly through." Usagi said as she lead Seiya back to the door to the roof and shoved him through roughly before closing the door behind him.

"I'll kill him." Inuyasha growled in the back of his throat. '_The nerve of that guy! Me? Gay? Keh!'_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he growled low in his throat. That pretty boy was really getting on his last nerve. If it hadn't been for Usagi, he would have had him at his mercy.

"Ne, Inuyasha. Why do you hate Seiya-kun? He's really a nice guy." Usagi said as she grabbed Inuyasha's arm and helped him to his feet. He pulled his arm out of her grip and turned around, immediately crossing his arms over his chest.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said as he refused to turn around. "That guy is an asshole. I don't know what you see in him." Usagi looked at him in puzzlement. If Seiya was anything, an asshole wasn't one of them.

"Ahh! The bell just rang!" Usagi yelled as she grabbed her box and crammed the lid back on. Sango, Miroku, and Kagome did the same and the four of them headed back into the building, leaving Inuyasha on the roof to pout.

"Wow, Inuyasha sure is jealous, isn't he?" Sango mused to herself as they headed for their next class.

"Yeah, I thought he was going to clobber Seiya-kun for talking to Usagi." Kagome replied as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Jealous? Why would he be jealous?" Usagi questioned as she looked at her two friends. "Seiya-kun and I are just friends. The same that Inuyasha and I are just friends."

"You're so naïve, Usagi-sama." Miroku said as he came up behind Usagi and put an arm around her shoulders. "Why else would Inuyasha get so angry with him and call him names? Inuyasha is afraid that Seiya will take you away from him."

"He can't be, Inuyasha, jealous?" Usagi questioned as they turned into the classroom. Needless to say, Usagi had plenty to think about during her next class, which caused her to zone out even more than usual during that period.

llooolloooll

"Give me the Shikon no Tama!" A voice cried out as Usagi walked down the street with her friends toward home. Usagi cried out in surprise as the sharp clawed hand of the bear youkai descended toward her.

"Kuso…" Inuyasha muttered as he landed in front of the scared blond with the Tetsusaiga drawn. The blade had transformed into the gleaming form of the fang and the claws of the bear splintered against it.

"It has a Shikon shard in its chest!" Kagome cried as she felt something coming from the bear and saw a glowing light from its body. Miroku had grabbed Kagome and pulled her to the side when the bear had attacked.

"Go and hide!" Inuyasha yelled to the petrified blond girl. Usagi stood rooted to the spot in fear like a deer caught in the headlights of a car as the bear howled in pain. She could see a glowing pink light coming from a spot right in the middle of its chest. She assumed it was the Shikon shard Kagome had pointed out moments before.

"Shine!" Inuyasha yelled as he leapt into the air and brought his sword crashing down the front of the bear. The sword sliced through the bear's shoulder in an angle all the way out the bear's hip. "Keh, weakling…" Inuyasha muttered as he tossed the blade of the Tetsusaiga on his shoulder and stood over the bear's body triumphantly. Usagi walked forward to the spot that was glowing and plucked a sliver of what looked like glass from the body of the bear.

"Eh?" Kagome said as she saw Usagi pull out the shard. "You can see the shard too?"

"Aa…" Usagi said as she examined the shard that lay in her palm carefully. She could feel the power radiating off of it and watched as the light become clear instead of a murky black. "That's really strange…" Usagi said as she remembered the vision from the grave sight of Inuyasha's father.

"They're getting more bold." Miroku said as he stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pants. "To come into the city in broad daylight. It seems that whatever control was being held over them is weakening."

"Keh! They smell power." Inuyasha said as he sheathed his sword. "Now that there are pieces of jewel all over the place, they're leaving Naraku."

"Did you say, Naraku?" Miroku questioned as the look on his face went cold. Naraku had been the name of the creature that had bestowed the wind tunnel curse upon his hand.

"Do you know him, Miroku-sama?" Kagome questioned as everyone turned their attention to the perverted monk. His face had gone dark and a scowl marred his usually handsome features.

"I've never met him in person…" Miroku started as he lifted his cursed hand and looked down at the palm. "He's the one that cursed my family with this kazaana." He explained slowly. "Centuries ago, my ancestor fought him. Every time he faced Naraku, the demon was in a different form. The last time my ancestor faced him, Naraku had taken the form of a beautiful woman. When my ancestor was distracted, he tore a hole in the middle of his hand. The kazaana only affects the men of my family… the winds will steadily become stronger, until it sucks you into it… That is my fate if I can't defeat Naraku soon. The winds have already strengthened, I don't know how much more time I have left." Miroku explained, oblivious that he was telling his story to any other person because he was lost deep in thought and memories. He had watched as his father had been sucked into his kazaana years before as a child.

"Ne, Miroku, let's get back to the shrine." Sango said tentatively as she placed a hand on his shoulder. The dark look on his face passed and he smiled slightly at the concerned look on the dark-haired girl's face.

"You're so kawaii when you look worried, Sango-chan." Miroku said in a sing-song voice as he took her hands in his own. Sango blushed at the show of affection from the perverted monk. "Will you bear my children?"

"Eh?" She said as she pulled her hands out of his grasp. "Hentai…" She muttered as her hand met with his cheek.

"Hidoi, you're not even going to comfort me in my time of need, Sango?" Miroku asked as he trailed along after the shorter girl down the street.

"Matte!" Usagi called as she, Kagome, and Inuyasha followed suit.

"Hmm… so that _is_ the guy from the concert…" Seiya said slowly to himself. "What is Usagi doing with someone that dangerous? He's obviously not human…"

"We're not human either, Seiya. Sometimes I think you forget that. Our only concern is our princess, you need to focus more on that and less on that girl." A voice said behind him. He turned to see Taiki and Yaten walking toward him.

"Besides, what happens to this planet isn't any of our concern. Let them fight their monsters. It doesn't involve us at all." Taiki said as he pushed his glasses up farther on the bridge of his nose.

llooolloooll

"More demons have deserted this place. It seems they have smelled the power that is to be had out there." Naraku said as he stroked Kikyo's hair softly. She sat in a chair with Naraku kneeling behind her. "They wish to get the Shikon no Tama first so they do not have to serve under us, Kikyo." Naraku continued as he ran his fingers through her silken hair.

"I see," Kikyo said as she stood up. Her Shinidamachuu circled her waist slowly to prevent her from falling. It appeared that the dead souls had done the trick and she stood quick firmly. "I shall prevent any more demons from leaving this place and alerting the humans of our presence." She explained as she walked over toward the high-backed chairs at the front of the throne room. Lying on the floor was a bow and a quiver of arrows that she picked up and slung over her shoulder. "I shall put a holy barrier around this place that the youkai will be unable to penetrate."

Naraku smirked inwardly. Now all he needed was the Shikon no Tama so that he could get rid of his human heart and become a full demon at last. The thief Onigumi prevented him from harming the dark-haired miko. Now that she seemed to has lost most of her soul, she seemed much more attractive to the demon side of him. Once she had outlived her usefulness, he would get rid of her as well.

Kikyo wandered past the many demons that roamed around the caverns. They dared not to approach the miko; even they could sense the immense power that she held within herself. They also knew that if they were to lay one claw on her, they would be killed immediately by the ruthless Naraku. Even to the demons, the name Naraku made them shudder as chills ran down their spines. He was as evil and heartless as they came.

llooolloooll

"Mama, we can't find the jewel shards if we have to stay in Tokyo," Kagome explained with a sigh of exasperation. "Not all of them could be in Tokyo."

"But entrance exams are coming up soon, Kagome-chan." Higurashi-mama explained as she stirred the pot on the stove. "I just can't let you and Usagi-chan take that kind of time off of school. You'll get too far behind, I'm only concerned about your education and future."

"But this _is_ my future right now." Kagome argued. "If we don't stop them, there will be no future for anyone! They're ruthless mom!" Higurashi-mama sighed in defeat.

"I suppose I can't stop you from doing something you really want to do, can I?" She questioned as she looked back at her daughter. "I suppose there isn't a choice, is there?"

"There's not, besides, I don't think there's going to be any school tomorrow anyway." Kagome said as she pointed toward the television in the other room. "Swarms of demons have been attacking all over Japan. They've had to call out the military to try and stop them. There are priests and priestesses all across the country fighting them. It's all over the news. We were attacked by three demons just on the walk home from school."

"Oh my, I didn't realize it was that bad out there." Higurashi-mama said as she put her hand over her mouth.

"It really is, mama. Luckily Kaede-obachan gave me those charms to put up around the shrine or we would have been attacked a lot more than that." Kagome said as she smiled sadly at her mother. The reports of demon attacks were coming more and more often. Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha had been out fighting them for several hours, while Kagome and Usagi trained with Kaede on fighting as mikos. Somehow Usagi could see the shards so she had some sort of spiritual power, though her aim was worse than Kagome's when it came to shooting arrows.

"So you'll be leaving tomorrow?" Higurashi-mama asked as she looked down at her daughter. She didn't look like a 15-year-old girl. "My have you grown, Kagome-chan. Just a few days ago, you were crying over a scraped knee. You be careful out there, all right?"

"Hai, don't let Souta or jichan leave the shrine, ne?" Kagome asked as she looked imploringly up at her mother.

"All right, dear. I want you to check in once in a while, all right?" Higurashi-mama said as Kagome headed toward the door to continue her training with Kaede.

"Hai, mama!" Kagome called as she picked up her bow by the door and headed outside.

llooolloooll

"All right, it's your turn for a break, Usagi." Kaede said as Kagome came back out from the house. Usagi's hands were sore from the bowstring and her forearm hurt as well from the arrow sliding across her arm. She was a very poor shot, but considering this was her first time shooting a bow, she hadn't done too terrible. She had actually hit the target the last few times she'd shot the arrow, which was better than when it only made it halfway to the target or sailed over the top of it and hit the ground behind.

Usagi walked stiffly up to her room and flopped herself down on her bed with her eyes closed. She heard a familiar purring close to her ears and rolled over to pet Buyo. He seemed to like her room and would always come to cuddle when she was feeling sad or lonely. She rubbed the top of the cat's head as it purred quietly into her ear.

"You're such a good kitty, Buyo." Usagi said as she scratched behind the cat's ear. She opened her eyes to see the contented look on the cat's face and was met with a strange sight. It wasn't Buyo that was purring at her, it was a black cat that had a crescent moon bald spot on her forehead. "Eh? A new cat? When did we get a new cat?" Usagi questioned as she sat up to get a better look at the cat. She was much smaller than Buyo and had an intelligent look in her eyes. As she studied the cat, the cat seemed to study her right back.

"My name is Luna," A female voice said as Usagi studied the cat more closely. "I've come to-" She was cut off as Usagi let out a high-pitched shriek and fell off the bed backward onto the floor.

"T… tha… that cat just talked!" She cried as she scooted across the room until her back hit the wall. "Cats can't talk! What's going on?" Usagi cried as she grabbed each of her pigtails and pulled.

"Selenity-sama! Oi! Be quiet, I need to talk to you!" Luna cried over the girl's panicked yells. When the yelling didn't stop, Luna leapt off the bed and into the young girl's lap. She then jumped onto her face and knocked her to the side on the ground, using her body to hold the girl's mouth shut so she could talk. "Is it really that surprising? After what you've seen?" Usagi's body relaxed slightly and the can moved onto the girl's chest instead. "Now then, I suppose you have some questions. Am I a demon or monster? No, I'm just a normal cat with a few tricks." Luna said calmly. She, of course, left out the part about being from the moon and such, she didn't believe the girl before her could handle that, even after all of the strange things that had been happening to her lately.

"Where d… did you come from?" Usagi questioned slowly as she looked up into the cat's eyes. She had been right in thinking that the cat was intelligent. It's not every day that you meet a talking cat.

"Where I'm from isn't important right now. You are in very grave danger." Luna said as she looked seriously into Usagi's blue orbs.

"The youkai can't get me through the barrier, and my Hama no Ya is getting better." Usagi explained as she picked the cat up so she could sit up. She sat the cat on the floor next to her and sat cross-legged facing her.

"I'm not talking about them. There is a greater evil looming in on the planet." Luna explained as she waved off the demons with one paw. "We have been searching for you for a very long time, Selenity-sama." Luna said as she bowed as best as a cat could.

"Why are you calling me Selenity-sama?" Usagi questioned as she gave the cat a funny look.

"Because you are the reincarnation of Princess Selenity of the Moon Kingdom." Luna explained slowly. She wasn't quite sure how the girl was going to take this news. Usagi just stared blankly back at her before she burst out laughing. A sweatdrop slid down Luna's face as the girl collapsed into a fit of giggles and ended up rolling on the ground in front of her.

"Me? A princess?" Usagi paused as another giggle escaped her lips. "I think you must have gotten hit on the head or something. There's no way _I'm_ a princess."

"I'm afraid it is true, I sensed your power yesterday even through whatever barrier that separated you from this world." Luna explained as a vein throbbed in her forehead. It was very hard to concentrate and remain serious with the blond girl laughing and rolling around on the floor the way she was. "Oi! I'm being serious, you need to calm down, this is very important!" Luna yelled over the giggling girl. This effectively ceased the giggling from the blond girl.

"I'm sorry, but I'm about the farthest thing there is from a princess." Usagi said with a dry chuckle that ended after a second.

"Regardless of what you think or say, you are the princess we have been searching for." Luna explained as the vein thudded again. "At some point yesterday, I felt a huge power from somewhere very far away. Mercury used her computer to pinpoint the power source and it led me to you. Did something strange happen to you yesterday?" A sweatdrop slid down Usagi's face. _Lots_ of strange things had been happening to her lately, she wasn't even sure where to begin.

"Well, I suppose there were a lot of weird things that happened yesterday…" Usagi paused for a moment in thought then held up a hand to count on. "I was kidnapped by a dog demon, nearly smothered in his fur, bit and poisoned, nearly killed by his claws and again, by his poison. Then I was nearly killed by the fumes from his poison, nearly killed by his claws again… Either way, I was nearly killed multiple times yesterday."

"And what saved you?" Luna asked.

"Well, Inuyasha saved me a bunch of times, but something really weird happened…" Usagi paused again to remember the sensation she had felt. "I felt all warm inside, but still cold on the tips of my fingers like I was in cold water or something. There was a loud sound and a really bright light, then my wounds were healed and I was dressed really strange. I just thought it had something to do with my healing ability."

"You have the ability to heal people?" Luna questioned as she scanned the girl with a serious look on her furry face.

"Aa, I have been for a really long time," Usagi explained, all giggles gone. "If I had been able to get to them… my family wouldn't have been killed… I could have healed them…" Usagi said slowly as her eyes became sad.

"Did you have any strange markings? When did it go away?" Luna questioned as she pressed on.

"Hmm? Well… Sesshoumaru said something about a mark on my forehead… a noble mark he said… And the dress stayed until we were on our way back to the shrine when we were out of danger." Usagi finished as she remembered how far Inuyasha had jumped when pink ribbons had swirled around her and his hand had met bare skin before she was clothed in her school uniform.

"I have no doubts in my mind, you _are_ the princess we have been searching for." Luna said as she stood up from her sitting position on the floor. "I need you to come along with me to the Hikawa Shrine, Rei will protect you until the rest of the girls arrive."

"Wait a minute! I'm perfectly fine right here!" Usagi cried out as she stood up. "The barrier will keep the youkai out of here! Besides, what can Hino-san do for me? I know she's the grand-daughter of a priest because her grandfather stops by for tea with jichan once in a while."

"You're in very grave danger, Selenity-hime!" Luna cried as the blond girl picked up her bow and headed out the door.

"I'm fine, leave me alone." Usagi said as she closed the door and headed back outside. Kagome and Kaede were still practicing when Usagi approached and picked up her quiver.

"It's not time for your break to be over yet, Usagi-chan." Kagome said as she watched Usagi position herself facing the target.

"Daijoubu, I really need the practice. Besides, I couldn't relax anyway with everything that's going on outside. I want to help Inuyasha and the others instead of being stuck inside the barrier." Usagi explained as she fit an arrow onto the string and pulled it taut. Her face was set as she leveled the tip of the arrow right with the bullseye of the target. She released the arrow and watched as it whizzed toward the target with a whistling sound. The arrow hit on the innermost ring of the target and a smile lit up on Usagi's face. "Yatta! Look, I got it so close!" Usagi cried in excitement.

"So you're the new Star Seed…" An amused voice said coming from behind Usagi, Kagome, and Kaede.

"Eh? Star Seed?" Usagi questioned as she turned to face a strangely clad girl in white. She had a curly mouse-tail and two odangoes similar to Usagi's.

"I'm Sailor Iron Mouse," She explained as she held up a hand with a golden bracelet on her wrist. "And I'm here for your Star Seed."

**:Fin:**

December 28, 2005

**Ikidekimasu**: what they say before they eat, no real English translation  
**onigiri**: rice ball

Okay okay, I know, long time no update XD That tends to happen when all inspiration dries up;. Besides, I wasn't sure where to go with this story and realized I'd kind of left out the Sailor Moon storyline so I threw it in at the end right here; I know, you're all gonna kill me because that's one hell of a cliff-hanger XD Gomen! I'll try to update faster this time, though. Anyway, onto the review responses

**Hoshiko Megami**: Gomen XD I've been having some major writers block with this one lately; It's bad because I ADORE this story;  
**midlight bunny**: I really miss my grandma, but I suppose she's happy where she's at Yay for being a favorite, it's one of my favorite ones to write, even though I've been having some major writers block -.- I was trying to make a Usa/Inu/Sess triangle, but Sesshoumaru is a tough one to put in a triangle and keep him in character XD  
**Merlenyn**: Hehe, yep She's a princess and a priestess, I'm trying to bring out the princess as well as the priestess a bit more. And don't worry, the whole story of their past will unfold in due course The Senshi could see that he wasn't actually 'hurting' her so shrugs they kind of just let it go. Kikyo is about to become a bit more of a pain in the butt now that her physical strength has returned evil grin  
**Funkangel**: Here's another new chappie for ya You'll see more of the past before too much longer.  
**MissIndependentYui**: o.O Someone can actually die from being left in suspense? Sorry for the long time of no updates XD Writers block can be a bit tough to beat at times -.-  
**Starlytemint**: I dunno how you missed it; Hopefully you don't miss this update too. Sorry for the wait, writers block is a pain -.- Good that you got your Inuyasha brushed up on, though It makes it a bit easier to picture the way the characters look/act Hehe I've been trying to keep some of the storyline the same, but I want it to be different too. Now there's a lot more Sailor Moon story in this since she was told she's 'Selenity-hime'. She was actually holding the Shikon no Tama and it was her own reflection she saw in the jewel, sorry if it was confusing XD She didn't see Kikyo's face in the jewel.


	16. Chapter 15 Alliances

**Uragirimono**

Notes: Yeah I know, it's been a LOOOONG time since I've updated anything (at least 4 years)... I'm really sorry about that, time has a way of changing things. I went back to college for multi-media (2 year program) and I've been working ever since. I got hired where I did my internship and am now working in the biggest advertising firm in Pittsburgh, PA (I LOVE it!). To those that don't know, I also have a daughter that's now 18 months old and a HANDFUL. I would like to continue to write if I can find the time. With a baby girl as active as her, that's going to be a challenge! I'm currently downloading Inuyasha Final Act (subtitled) so I can finally see the conclusion to the Inuyasha series so I'll let you know how good it is when I finish it ~.^ I can't believe I missed it's 2009 release! I just found out about it LAST NIGHT! I can't wait to watch it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, they are owned by other people with alot more money than me *sniffle* The story belongs to me, though, steal and you'll have a hoard of hungry muses on your ass ready to beat the living crap outa ya and drag your beaten bloody carcass back to their master Naraku who will eat every last bite of you :P (^^; that was kinda violent ne? *blushes*)

Thoughts are _italicized  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
*~*~*~*~* Change of scene, time, etc…

**Chapter 15 - Alliances**

"Star Seed?" Usagi questioned as she looked at the small, strangely-clad girl. "What's a Star Seed? And how did you get through the barrier, youkai?" She drew another arrow and knocked it to her bow, preparing for an attack. Kagome was right beside her and knocked her own arrow.

"Youkai? Iie." Iron Mouse said with a small smile. "It took me a few days to track you down, so enough talk, give it to me!" She called as she held her hands up in front of her face. Two glowing, golden balls shot from the bracelets and looped around Usagi and Kagome, on going either way.

"Nani?" Kagome cried as she tried to follow them with her eyes. She couldn't keep up with their speed and neither girl were able to move or hit them with their hama no ya arrows. Kaede had gone into the house several minutes before to have a cup of tea with grandpa so her steady aim was unavailable to them.

Usagi grabbed Kagome and pushed her to the ground when the projectiles closed in on them and covered her friend with her own body.

"Sankou Tetsuou!" A voice cried out as Inuyasha jumped off the roof and brought his claws down toward the strange-looking, curly-tailed girl in a skimpy outfit. Iron Mouse jumped back at the last second, a few floating strands of hair floating to the ground in the place she had just been standing.

"Scary..." She said quietly from several paces back with widened eyes. Usagi and Kagome slowly rose to their feet, both clutching their bows with arrows still knocked.

"She's not a youkai." Inuyasha said as he positioned himself in between Iron Mouse and the two mikos-in-training. He slowing drew the Tetsusaiga from his side, transforming it as it was drawn out. He leveled it in front of him, pointing the tip at Sailor Iron Mouse.

"Mou, these people don't get it, do they..." Iron Mouse said to herself as a sweatdrop slid down her cheek. "Just get out of the way, I have a job to do." She raised her wrists again and shot out the glowing orbs that circled the whole group. Inuyasha waited for the orbs to come closer so he could deflect them with the blade.

"Nani?" Inuyasha said as the orbs shot straight up in the air. Inuyasha jumped up after them and prepared to send them flying out of the barrier. It turned out to be a diversion, though as Iron Mouse raised her wrists once more.

"Look out!" Kagome cried as she pushed her friend out of the way. The glowing orbs missed Usagi but hit Kagome from behind. Kagome shrieked in pain as golden light surrounded her and penetrated her very bones. When the light settled, there was a beautiful flower on her forehead with a delicate pink gemstone floating above it.

"Yatta! What a pretty Star Seed!" Iron Mouse said as she watched. In front of her eyes, the gemstone started to turn black and lose it's shine. "Awhh! Mou, another weak one! I was so sure I'd finally found a real Star Seed."

"Kagome-chan!" Usagi cried as she ran to her friend. She didn't know what to do to help her friend, her eyes were shut tight and she seemed to be being held up by the jewel on her forehead.

"Oi!" Inuyasha cried as he came down with the sword raised above his head ready to bring down on the white-haired girl's head.

"Chh..." Iron Mouse made a sound between her teeth. She nimbly avoided the massive sword and landed at the top of the stairs to the shrine. "There's no reason for me to stay, but you can play with the Phage! Bye-bi!" She said as a red, European-looking phone booth appeared. She stepped inside it and it disappeared as she closed the door.

"Matte!" Usagi cried as she reached toward the white-clad girl. "Put her back!" Iron Mouse was already gone, though. Usagi turned back to her friend as black vines shot out from the blackened jewel on her forehead and encased her whole body from head to foot. She took a few steps back in shock at this display and watched in horror. "Nani?"

The black vine-like streamers whipped around widely for several seconds and then snapped out and disappeared. Standing in Kagome's place was the strangest thing Usagi had ever seen. It was a oversized miko with exaggerated facial features and a massive bow and quiver on it's back. The create spun around a struck a pose.

"Sailor Miko!" The monster said as it held the bow above it's head and stood on one foot with the other hand behinds it's head.

"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha asked as his eye twitched slightly. It didn't smell like any youkai he'd ever come across and was the weirdest looking creature he'd ever seen.

"Shine youkai!" The Phage said as it nocked an arrow from it's quiver and leveled it on Inuyasha. The Phage drew the bow and released an arrow at Inuyasha that was glowing bright pink. Inuyasha easily dodged and then went in for an attack of his own.

"You're done!" Inuyasha cried as he raised the sword above his head and prepared to bring it down on the Phage.

"Osuwari!" Usagi cried as she watched Inuyasha rushing in with his sword above his head to kill the creature in front of him. "Baka! That's Kagome! You can't kill it!"

"What are you talking about, onna? That's not her anymore!" Inuyasha growled as he picked his face up out of the dirt with a low growl. He grabbed the sword and prepared to attack again.

"Oi! Monster! Over here!" Usagi cried as she got the monster's attention. She was running toward the barrier around the shrine with the monster close on her heels. She'd had an idea from when Inuyasha had fallen through it a few days before. Maybe if she drew the monster out _through_ the barrier, it would purify it and Kagome would be all right.

"What the hell are you doing, Usagi?" Inuyasha yelled as he saw the blond girl disappear down the long flight of stairs. He followed after her and the monster and got a nasty shock when he neared the barrier. "Baka!" He yelled after her as a growl left his throat.

Usagi ran down the steps, painfully aware of how close the monster was behind her. When she reached the street, the Phage launched itself in the air and landed in front of her on the blacktop.

"You're been possessed! I need to exercise you!" The Phage said as she drew some oversized charms from inside her sleeve. Usagi screamed as she jumped out of the way of the paper as the Phage threw it at her. As it fell it grew in size and weight and left huge cracks in the tar as it hit the pavement.

"Selenity-hime! Over here!" A familiar voice cried as Usagi jumped out of the way of another massive charm. Usagi ran to the sidewalk and looked up to see the black cat, Luna, from earlier. The cat did a backflip and a beautiful brooch landed in Usagi's hand. "Hold it up and say Moon Eternal Make-UP!" The cat explained as Usagi looked at the locket in her hand. "Hayuku!"

"Moon Eternal Make-UP!" Usagi cried as she held the brooch above her head. Her eyes widened in shock as pink ribbons shot down her arm from the brooch in her hand and wrapped down her arm. She felt a warm sensation surrounding her body as more ribbons appeared wrapped themselves around her. She could feel her body spinning on it's own and finally stopped in a sort of pose. "Nani? What just happened?" She questioned the cat as she looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a variation of many of the sailor-suit looking uniforms many schools used. The skirt was really short with three different rippling layers, yellow, blue, and red. The brooch had settled in the middle of her chest and seemed to have feathers sticking out on either side. She was wearing knee-high boots and gloves that went up to her upper arms. The shoulders of the sailor suit were fluffy and pink and on her back she felt huge white wings attached to the back.

"You're Sailor Moon as well as Selenity-hime! You need to fight this creature until your protectors arrive!" Luna explained as she looked at the girl.

"Nani? What do you mean fight that thing! That's Kagome-chan!" Sailor Moon cried as she dodged away from yet another weighted charm that the Phage had thrown in her direction. Sailor Moon continued to dodge attacks as the Phage launched itself after her time and time again.

"Kuso! Baka!" Inuyasha shouted at the top of his lungs as he watched the blond streamers disappear. "Go ahead and get yourself killed! Keh!"

Inuyasha put his sword back in the sheath at his side and frowned in thought as he scanned the trees searching for the charms that held the barrier in place. He located on and reached out his hand to remove it so he could go after the blond girl. When he reached his hand out, the barrier repelled him before he got within a foot of it.

"Damnit! Stupid human!" Inuyasha yelled into the air at the realization that there was no way for him to remove the charm himself. He growled low in his throat as he walked to the top of the stairs. He took several deep breaths and growled low in his throat, preparing himself for what he was about to do. After several seconds, he ran at the barrier with all the speed he could muster with a growl low in his throat. He braced himself for when his body hit the barrier but couldn't hold back the cry of pain that ripped from his throat as thousands of needles of pain pierced every inch of his body. While the pain was still at it's peek, darkness closed in.

"_Ne, Inuyasha. Why do you want the jewel so bad?" A silvery voice asked when Inuyasha opened his eyes. He looked at the woman in front of him and felt his heart skip a beat. She had long golden hair tied back in a ponytail at the base of her neck and streaming down to the back of her knees. She was wearing a miko's outfit with flowing red pants, sandals and a white top. Hanging around her neck was an intricate chain with pink stones and a large, round white jewel pendant. On her back was a quiver of arrows and there was a bow as long as she was tall lying in the grass next to her. Her cerulean blue eyes were locked on his as a sad smile played across her lips._

"_Keh! Why do you think? So I can become a full demon, of course!" Inuyasha growled out as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from those eyes that made his stomach do flip-flops._

"_Honestly, Inuyasha." The miko started slowly as she leaned back on her hands and looked up toward the full moon in the sky. "I like you how you are. I like you as a hanyou."_

"_Heh, yeah right." Inuyasha said as he turned his eyes back to her. She was looking up at the moon with the same sad smile on her face. He wondered to himself what made her sad and caused that look on her face. "No body likes a dirty hanyou... Not a human... Not a demon..." He said more to himself than to her._

"_Kikyo has been spying on me lately." The miko said to herself as a serious look appeared on her face. She turned her face to look at Inuyasha. "She knows we've been spending time together and thinks that there's a way to get rid of the jewel for good."_

"_Hmm? Do what with it?" Inuyasha asked as he leaned back in the grass and crossed his hands behind his head._

"_She tried to convince me if I used the jewel to turn you human, it would be purified and cease to exist." The miko said slowly with a perplexed look on her face._

"_Eh? Human?" Inuyasha asked as he picked his head up and met her ocean blues with his golden eyes._

"_Aa..." The miko said with a thoughtful look on her face. She picked up the jewel and held it up to catch the moonlight._

_Inuyasha watched her as the moonlight bathed her in it's soft glow. Moonlight always seemed to suit her. It glittered in her hair and reflected the jewel in her eyes. He blushed as he noticed her plump pink lips and a thought crossed his mind that they looked really soft. He mentally upbraided himself for letting that thought cross his mind. She was a miko with a mission, she couldn't be with a man until that mission was complete._

"_All right, I'll do it." Inuyasha stated simply as he sat up facing the miko. Her eyes widened slightly as his words registered in her mind._

"_Nani?" She questioned as a look of confusion crossed her face._

"_I'll become human." Inuyasha said with a small smile. He reached forward and pulled her into a tight embrace against his chest. At first she tried to push away but then leaned her head forward and buried her face in the fire-rat shirt that he wore. He pulled her into his lap and stroked her silken hair as he breathed in her scent. "Then you can be a woman, not a miko."_

_The miko stirred against his chest and pushed away slightly. She looked up into his eyes and was about to say something, but Inuyasha took that moment to lower his lips to hers. He had to know if her lips were as soft as they looked. As their lips met, a chill ran through his spine starting from his lips and went all the way down to his toes at the light touch. Her lips parted slightly and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She tried to pull back at first, but her resistance died and he ran his tongue across hers. Inuyasha started to feel light-headed as he flowed backward and white light filled his vision..._

Inuyasha felt pain everywhere as his eyes slowly opened. All of his muscles had seized up and felt like rubber. He pushed himself up onto all fours and groaned low in his throat when strands of black hair fell onto the top step. He forced his muscles to move and climbed unsteadily to his feet. _Stupid girl!_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he took a few unsteady steps toward the stairs. He went down a few stairs with his knees attempting to buckle underneath of him. That's when he heard the high-pitched shriek from the street below.

"Usagi!"

"Iie!" Sailor Moon shrieked as she ran from another attack by the Phage that was Kagome. "What do I do, Luna?" Sailor Moon demanded as she the black cat jumped into her arms to be out of the cross-fire.

"Concentrate and bring up the Eternal Tier. Feel it inside of yourself and call it to you." Luna explained as Sailor Moon ran down the street with the cat in her arms. Sailor Moon closed her eyes and searched from something. She saw a silver light behind her eyelids and felt a golden warmth fill her limbs. When she opened her eyes, there was a short staff in her hands topped with what looked like a crown. It was intricately carved and had a multitude of gems up the length of it.

"Now what!" Sailor Moon cried as she leaped over a giant charm that had landed in front of them.

"Use your attack 'Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss'!" Luna explained as Sailor Moon slid to a stop. The cat jumped from her arms and Sailor Moon turned to face the Phage that was barreling toward her at full speed. The Phage was moving at full speed toward Sailor Moon. Her eyes bulged as the monster picked up speed rather than slowing.

"Look out!" A voice called to Sailor Moon's left. She looked up in time to see a brown blur heading toward her at full speed. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the impact... It never came. She peeked one eye open and looked up to see the wolf demon, Kouga shielding her.

"Yo." Kouga said as he gave Sailor Moon a toothy smile. "I came to get see my woman. Why does that thing smell like her?" Kouga asked with a perplexed look. Sailor Moon was in his arms as he leaped through the air to avoid the monster attacking them.

"That IS Kagome!" Sailor Moon said as Kouga landed lightly about a hundred feet away. He set the blond girl down and glanced over his shoulder at the confused Phage.

"Are you stupid? Of course that's not Kagome!" Kouga said with a frown crossing his face. Sailor Moon felt something strange with him and looked down. He had shards of the Shikon no Tama in both legs and in his right arm.

"You have Shikon shards." Sailor Moon said as she looked back up at him. Kouga turned to look at her with a surprised expression on his face.

"I thought only Kagome could see them." He said simply as he looked at her strangely. Sailor Moon was still clutching the Eternal Tier as the Phage seemed to come to herself and notice where they had landed.

"Get your hands off her Yaseokami!" A voice called out as a black-haired guy stumbled down the stairs and ran unsteadily toward them. He was wearing red and had a sword strapped at his side.

"Who the hell are you, human?" Kouga asked as his eye began to twitch. That human had an attitude problem and a lot of nerve to tell Kouga, a demon, to do _anything_.

"Keh! As if you don't know, Yaseokami!" Inuyasha growled as he stepped in between Kouga and Sailor Moon. "What the _hell_ are you wearing?" He demanded as he took in Usagi's appearance. A slight blush touched his cheeks when he noticed how short the skirt was. He had thought the skirt on her school uniform was short until he saw this one. His eyes traveled down her long legs and he was forced to look away.

"Mou! Don't embarrass me!" Sailor Moon cried as she looked away from Inuyasha blushing.

"Sailor Moon, do it quickly!" Luna yelled as a loud pounding reached their ears. The all looked up to see the Phage charging at them at full speed.

"Look out!" Inuyasha cried as he grabbed the girl and pushed her to the ground. Kouga had leaped out of the way and drew the Phage's attention.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Oak Evolution!"

"Love and Beauty Shock!" Three different voice cried out and three very different attacks struck Kagome square in the chest. The Phage fell to it's knees, unable to run any longer.

"You have to put her down. Once someone becomes a Phage, that's it for them!" A female voice rang out. Everyone turned to see three women where skimpy leather outfits standing on top of the cement wall.

"But that's Kagome-chan!" Sailor Moon cried as she turned to face the scantily-clad women. "I don't believe it!"

"It's the truth, we've been fighting these people for a long time." Sailor Star Fighter stated with her arms crossed over her chest.

"We'll just see about that!" Sailor Moon said as her eyes narrowed slightly. She clutched her Eternal Tier tighter and turned to face Kagome. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy KISS!" Sailor Moon felt her body moving on it's own as she spun around a few times while energy gather in the Eternal Tier in her hand. When she said the last word, feathers filled the air and a glowing beam of energy shot toward the Phage still on it's knees in front of them. The light covered the Phage as she cried out in fear and pain.

"Beautiful!" She cried as a blinding light lit up the area.

When the light died down, Kagome stood in the middle of the street with a flower on her forehead. The gem that had been in the middle of that flower had turned back into a sparkling, crystalline pink color. The flower closed up around the gem and disappeared. Only then did Kagome's knees buckle and she fell forward.

"Kagome-chan!" Sailor Moon cried as she ran toward her friend. As fast as Sailor Moon was running, Kouga beat her to Kagome and scooped her up in his arms. There was a look of concern on his face as he held the sleeping girl. Sailor Moon kneeled down next to Kagome and Kouga to see how she was.

"She's all right." Kouga said with a sigh of relief. He ran his fingers through her raven-black hair and cupped her chin with his other hand. "She's just unconscious."

"Thank goodness." Sailor Moon said with a sigh of relief. Inuyasha was standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"That was good, Sailor Moon." Luna said as she walked over to her with Sailors' Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter behind her. Sailor Moon looked up at the sailor senshi as she stood up. Kouga stood up as well, holding Kagome against his chest.

"So you're her, huh?" Sailor Mars said with a frown. Her eyes were narrowed on the blond girl as she studied her. "Don't think we're going to just accept you because you were some princess in a previous life."

"Princess? You're wrong, I'm no princess." Sailor Moon said with a nervous laugh.

"We need to talk in private, Selenity-hime." Luna said as she turned to face the sailor senshi.

"It's nice to meet you, Sailor Moon." Sailor Venus said with a warm smile. "It's always nice to add a new friend to our team."

"Your team? I don't..." Sailor Moon started but was cut off mid-sentence.

"She's not part of your team, onna." Inuyasha said as he stepped in front of her. His black hair swayed as he shook his head and his gray eyes narrowed in a possessive fashion. "She has to find the Shikon shards, not play around with you."

"Is that all you care about, Inuyasha?" Sailor Moon demanded as she planted her fists on her hips. "You're so mean, Osuwari!" Inuyasha hit the ground with a resounding thud and was slow to rise to his feet.

"What the hell! I just ran through that damn barrier up there to save you and this is how you thank me?" Inuyasha demanded with a growl low in his throat.

"So that's why..." Sailor Moon said slowing as she took in his human appearance. "Arigato, Inuyasha." Sailor Moon said with a smile. "Ne, lets go home." Sailor Moon, Kouga with Kagome, and Inuyasha headed for the stairs to the shrine.

"Where are you going, Sailor Moon! We have to form a plan!" Sailor Mars cried as she took a few steps after Sailor Moon.

"Gomen Sailor Mars-san." Sailor Moon said politely as she smiled at the dark-haired girl. "I have something else that needs to be taken care of that's more important right now."

"But you're our Princess!" Sailor Jupiter argued. "We're supposed to protect you! How can we do that if you won't let us?"

"You must be mistaken, I'm really no Princess. I'm just a normal girl. Besides, I have friends that protect me." Sailor Moon said with a smile as she ran to catch up with her friends.

"We need to do something about the barrier around the shrine." Miroku said as he took a sip of his tea. Kaede had come out of the house just in time to see Inuyasha forcing his way through the barrier to save the blond bunny. Due to her age, by the time she had reached the top of the stairs, Inuyasha was already on his feet and hobbling down the stairs.

"Yeah, but what?" Sango asked as she took the teapot and poured herself another cup. Kagome and Kouga were sitting on the couch in the living room with Hakkukai and Ginta. The wolves had remained outside behind the house since being indoors made them nervous. Not to mention how nervous it made the people inside the house.

"There is only one thing that I can think of," Kaede stated as she reached into her sleeve to pull out another charm. "If you surround a demon with the same type of barrier, it will allow you to walk through a larger barrier of the same type."

"Really?" Kagome asked with a small sip from her teacup. "But wouldn't that still require a miko to create the barrier. I mean, Inuyasha and Kouga can't hold the charm or it'll purify them, right?"

"Yeah, but maybe we can rig up something with an arm where you push a button and the arm swings out through the barrier with a charm attached to the end." Sango suggested thoughtfully.

"Do we know anyone with the mechanical know-how to build something like that quickly?" Usagi asked Kagome's mother who was sitting in an armchair with her own cup of tea. Usagi was seated on the floor with Inuyasha next to her facing in the opposite direction with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hmm..." Kagome's mom mused to herself as she set her teacup on the end table and reached for an address book that she kept on the bottom shelf of the end table. She started to turn the pages and stopped after several minutes with a small smile. "I think Tetsuyo-san will be just the person to handle this."

"Minna..."Usagi said slowly as a small frown settled on her lips. "Shouldn't we be out there fighting the youkai right now? It seems like they're everywhere now. More people are going to get hurt or killed. We need to do something bigger. I wonder... can we put a barrier around the whole city?"

"That do be a tall order." Kaede said quietly as she frowned at the suggestion. It wasn't the suggestion she was frowning about, but rather the execution. A barrier that big would most definitely take more than a miko, two in training, and a lecherous monk. It would also require an object or multiple objects to inject the spiritual power into, otherwise, the barrier wouldn't hold for very long. The reason the one on the shrine sustained itself was because Kagome, Usagi, and Miroku were constantly injecting spiritual power into the seals as they went in and out of the barrier.

"What about Hino-san and her grandfather?" Kagome suggested. They had known the Hino's for a long time and frequently would get together to plan various charities and events.

"Yeah! I bet Hino-san wouldn't mind helping with this!" Usagi cried out as a smile spread across her face. She didn't mention the strange cat, Luna, who had told her to come to the Hikawa shrine earlier that day. Maybe if she went with her friends to ask this favor, she could figure out why the Sailor Senshi seemed to think that she was some Princess they were supposed to protect. It seemed odd that Luna seemed to think Hino Rei could protect her for the Sailor Senshi.

"Yes, I'll go call Hino-san right now." Kagome's grandfather said as he rose from his comfy armchair and headed into the kitchen to get on the phone.

"So do you know how to do this, Kaede-obasan?" Kagome asked as she scratched her chin and looked somewhat embarrassed. She and Usagi had only been training as mikos for less than a week so they had very limited knowledge. Miroku could possibly know more, but Kaede was the logical choice with her secret library under the shrine.

"Yes, child. Of course." Kaede said as she reached for a canvas bag that sat on the floor near her feet. She reached inside and after a moment or two of looking, pulled out an old, battered book. The dust had been wiped clear and she seemed to have polished the cover to a dull shine. Even after the thorough polishing, the title on the book was still too faded to read. She reached into her bag one more time and pulled out a gold item that looked sort of like a barbell with diamonds on each end and intricately carved in various symbols.

"What's that?" Usagi asked as she looked at the heavy-looking object in Kaede's hand with interest.

"This is what we're going to use to concentrate the barrier. It's going to take quite a lot of spiritual power to activate it, though." Kaede explained as she handed it to Miroku who's eyes had gone very wide at the sight of it.

"I've read about these, Kaede-sama." He said as he gingerly took the object from her hands so he could turn it over in his hands. "I didn't know that there were any of these around in this day and age. I thought they had all been lost a few hundred years ago! The only one I've ever seen was in a museum in Osaka and it was in decidedly poor condition! How did you come by this?"

"This is one of the many things secrets that have been passed down through my family." Kaede explained with a smile as Miroku traced the carvings slowly with his fingertips. "Along with the secret library and the Hama no Ya that I've been teaching the girls."

"Are there any other secrets we should know about?" Miroku asked with a small smile as he handed it back to the elderly priestess.

"Now Miroku, I can't go around giving up _all_ of my secrets now can I?" Kaede asked with a mysterious half-smile.

"I just spoke with Hino-san and he's willing to hear you out." Kagome's grandfather said as he returned to the room several minutes later. "He's expecting all of you to be there in an hour."

"Okay, I think we'd best get cleaned up then." Kagome's mother said as she stood up and started to collect empty glasses and mugs. Most all of the younger occupants of the room were still somewhat mussed after the earlier battle with the 'Phage' as the strange girl called Sailor Iron Mouse had called it. "Go on now, showers you two!" She said referring to Kagome and Usagi with a wave of her arms, shooing them toward the staircase.

"So these 'youkai' can't pass through a barrier put up by a priest or priestess?" Old man Hino questioned as they all saw on their legs inside of the Hikawa Shrine. Usagi winced as her feet started to fall asleep and tried to keep her eyes from watering because of it. It was extremely difficult and it appeared Kagome was having a bit of trouble as well, though not as much as Usagi. Both girls weren't used to sitting like that for long periods of time despite the fact that they both lived at the Higurashi Shrine. The raven-haired girl sitting next to her grandfather narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the antics of the two girls across from them.

"No, Inuyasha is proof of this." Kaede explained as she motioned lazily to the silver-haired hanyou that stood against the back wall. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was scowling intensely as he stared at the back of the blond pigtailed girl's head. Kouga was seated next to Kagome and noticed her discomfort.

"Oi, how long is this gonna take?" He questioned lazily as he looked at the humans in front of him coldly. He may have fallen for a human, but that didn't mean he trusted all of them. Especially the suspicious raven-haired girl in front of her whose scent he recognized as one of the 'Sailor Senshi' from earlier that day.

"Kouga..." Kagome said warningly as she glanced at him sideways with a frown. "Don't be rude, this is important."

"Humph, I don't see why. So there's a few youkai around the city, big deal. Doesn't mean I have to sit here all day in here. There's better things to do." Kouga said lazily as he studied the dirt under his nails.

"Keh, for once I agree with you, yasoukami..." Inuyasha muttered from behind. "We should be collecting the jewel shards before their found by other youkai. There isn't time for this, onna!"

"Mou... I thought we were passed this, Inuyasha." Usagi said with a pout as she shifted her uncomfortable condition to relieve some pressure from her feet. It, unfortunately, didn't help in the slightest, she still felt like her feet were about to fall off. "My name is Usagi."

"Keh!" Was the only reply from the fuming hanyou. _'I'm only sticking around because you can see the jewel shards, onna.'_ He thought to himself as he continued to glare around the room. _'Once the jewel is whole, I'll kill you and take it for myself!'_

"If you big babies can't even sit for an hour, why don't you just go!" Rei burst out with her arms crossed over her chest. She glared at Usagi and fumed to herself. _'There's NO WAY this girl can be our Princess! There has to be some mistake!'_ She thought furiously to herself as she continued to glare at the bubbly blond sitting in front of them fidgeting with a pained look on her face.

"Gomen nasai..." Usagi said as a look of hurt crossed her cerulean-blue eyes. Inuyasha tensed as he heard this girl with long black hair yell at Usagi. He growled low in his throat and approached the black-haired girl with a snarl on his face.

"What the hell is your problem, girl?" Inuyasha growled as he approached the raven-haired girl. Her eyes narrowed at the tall golden-eyed boy in front of her and she rose gracefully to her feet to meet him head on.

"That's none of your business, you monster." She growled low in her throat as she stood facing the angry hanyou head-on with her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't intimidated in the least as she glared at Inuyasha.

"Nani?" Inuyasha growled as his eyes flashed red briefly. "Do you wanna die, human?"

"Inuyasha..." A soft voice said a moment later as everyone stared at the confrontation. Inuyasha turned his angry gaze to the blond girl on the floor and tensed slightly. "Osuwari." She stated simply and he slammed to the ground by the force of the charmed prayer beads that hung from his neck. "Now, Hino-san." Usagi started as she looked at the dark-haired girl apologetically. "I'm sorry I'm not strong like your, or disciplined, but this is something that really needs to be done. To protect as many people as possible and we can't do it with just me, Kagome, Miroku, and Kaede-sama. I humbly ask for your help." Usagi said as she bowed her head slightly to the shocked girl. Hino Rei had never seen such a determined and sincere look on the blond girl's face and it took her off guard.

"Fine, whatever, Tsukino-san." Rei said as she turned her back and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just go for a walk or something and we'll meet back in the main house to go over the details."

"Honto?" Usagi cried as she jumped to her feet. Unknowingly to her, her feet had gone completely numb and she promptly fell forward... right onto the sprawled-out form of Inuyasha laying face-first on the floor.

"_She's wrong, Inuyasha..." A young, blond miko stated as she picked up the jewel that hung around her neck and stared into it's depths._

"_But I thought you said..." Inuyasha said as a pained look crossed his face. "If I became human... why?" He questioned as he felt a tightness in his chest._

"_Gomen, Inuyasha..." The blond miko said sadly. "It cannot be... The jewel will only cease to exist if it's used for a completely unselfish wish... Us selfishly wishing to be together would taint it further... I'm sorry... We can't be together." She finished as a single tear slid down her cheek and dripped off of her chin._

"_Demo..." Inuyasha started as he felt the tightness in his chest increase tenfold. "Ai..." He started but was silenced when the miko turned to him and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes._

"_Please don't, Inuyasha!" She begged as another tear slid silently down her cheek. "I couldn't bear it! Please don't say it! It's impossible while the jewel exists!"_

"_Usagi-sama!" A voice called out from the trees behind the pair. "Usagi-sama! Please hurry, a youkai has come and is attacking the village!"_

"_Forgive me, Inuyasha..." The miko name Usagi said as she ran a slim hand across his cheek momentarily, then turned toward the village and headed off at a run._

"What the hell?" Inuyasha growled as something impacted with his back and jarred him to full consciousness. "Oi! Get off of me, would ya?" He growled as he attempted to disentangle himself from a long blond streamer and a pair of long legs.

"Kikyo-sama," A voice said getting the attention of a dark-haired young woman dressed as a priestess. She had set up a barrier around their hideout the day before and was forced to take back to her bed from the strain. "I have sent several bands of youkai to start collecting the shards of the Shikon no Tama."

"Any word from Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked slowly as she rose from her position on the bed. She swung her feet over the edge and slowly rose to her feet. She walked toward a simple vanity in the corner and picked up a brush before seating herself in front of it.

Naraku visibly tensed at the name of the silver-haired hanyou that had stolen the miko's heart. "No, Kikyo-sama. It seems he is with that blond human currently." Kikyo's eyes narrowed as she stopped stroking her straight black hair and she flung the brush as hard as she could into the mirror before her, shattering the glass into a million pieces.

"That girl..." Kikyo said coldly as her eyes narrowed in anger. "Has stolen everything from me... I will not let her win this time... Inuyasha is mine!"

**::FIN::**


	17. Chapter 16 Recollections

**Uragirimono**

Note: Well, I only got two reviews for the last time I updated (not surprised). It's been so long that I guess all of my 'loyal' readers no longer read fanfiction! Also, since Sailor Moon isn't really popular anymore, I take it no one is going into this section :( Anyway, here's a nice, LONG chapter for you. I haven't had much time to sit down and write lately so what I've been doing is writing this story in Notepad on my Android phone *yay* I'm just finishing this up right now, my family and I just moved so I haven't had too much time. My little Goddess, Isis (my 18 month old daughter), is laying down so I'm taking the time to finish this up. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it! It's a little slow in the beginning because I was having a bit of writer's block, the end delves a bit more into their pasts. Later on I'll have a flashback of the other characters so never fear that I didn't get to your favorite! Sesshoumaru will be making another appearance later and maybe little Rin (she's so adorable!). Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I (of course) don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon or the characters therein. Please do not steal my plot-line, it'll make reading my story boring to everyone else!

Thoughts are _'italicized'__  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized _(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc…

**Chapter 16 - Recollections**

Usagi yawned and leaned back against the trunk of the tree and sighed in contentment. After Rei's outburst, Usagi, Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kouga had been excused so the fully-trained priests, priestesses, and demon slayers could iron out all of the details to the huge endeavor they had before them.

Sitting on the ground next to the blond was a tall glass pitcher full of lemonade so cold condensation was running down the sides and forming a small puddle on the ground around it. Lying on a branch, seemingly asleep, was a young man wearing red with long, silver hair. One fang was visible on his lip as it poked out of his mouth.

"Ne, Inuyasha." The blond girl started as she glanced up at the tree branch he was currently resting on. One eye opened and looked lazily down at her. "Do you want some snacks and lemonade? Yuuichiro-san brought it out for us." The girl explained with a small smile up at the hanyou.

"Keh." Inuyasha said to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his gaze to the sky. The sun was barely at it's noon-day peek and the days heat was already settling in place. Usagi took another sip of her lemonade and looked up toward to sky. For the first time in the last week, it was a peaceful day. Kagome was walking around the shrine with Kouga and his two friends in tow placing a barrier around the Hikawa Shrine. Since they had agreed to help, Kagome and Usagi felt they should erect the temporary barrier in gratitude. Kagome had lost in rock, paper, scissors so she was the one placing the seals around the shrine grounds while Usagi got to relax in the sun.

"Mou... Are you going to sulk all day? I already apologized for saying the word in there." Usagi pouted as she took a bite from one of the half-sandwiches on the plate. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he merely grunted in response before turning his face away from her and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Selenity-hime?" A voice said quietly as a small black cat came out from behind the trunk of the tree. Inuyasha growled low in his throat and jumped down from his perch in the tree. In the same motion, he reached down and picked the talking cat up by the fur on the back of her neck. Luna arched her neck instinctively and drew her legs close to her body with her tail between her legs.

"What the hell do you want now, baka neko!" Inuyasha growled out holding firmly onto the cat. Usagi jumped up and ran toward Inuyasha with a frown on her lips.

"Hidoi, Inuyasha!" She cried as she reached for the shocked feline and plucked her from Inuyasha's hand. "You shouldn't pick on animals weaker than you!" She protested, giving the scowling hanyou a stern look. When she was satisfied, she turned her attention to the black cat in her arms. "Are you all right, Luna?"

The flustered feline looked gratefully up at her blond savior. That was just like Selenity-hime, protecting those weaker than herself. That had been one of her strongest features in her previous life. Luna had limited memories of that time but that was something that was impressed upon her mind.

"Thank you for reconsidering, Selenity-hime." The cat said as she bowed as best she could in the blond girl's arms. "Rei and the others have been most anxious to meet with you."

"Eh? Why would Hino-san want to meet with me?" Usagi questioned with a puzzled look on her face.

"Wait... You haven't come here to discuss your safety?" Luna questioned as Usagi sat down and placed the feline on the ground next to her. Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl and sat down in the grass next to Usagi.

"No we didn't." Usagi explained as a sweatdrop slid down her forehead. "We came to request Hino-san and her grandfather's help to place a barrier around the city to keep the youkai out."

"Keh! I told you before, she doesn't need the protection of some little girls in short skirts. She has me to protect her." Inuyasha grumbled with a glare directed at the black cat.

"We can't trust anyone to protect her but ourselves!" Luna argued as she glared right back at the silver-haired hanyou.

"Get over it. They can't protect her from youkai at all. I've seen them try. It's pathetic." Inuyasha said with a twitch in his eyebrow. This little cat was persistent and annoying. There was no way a bunch of little girls would be able to protect Usagi.

"I'll really be fine, Luna." Usagi said with a smile to try to reassure the black cat. "Inuyasha is really strong. So is Miroku-sama, Sango-chan, and Kouga-kun."

"You don't get it." A female voice spoke up suddenly. "No matter how much you fight it, you're our Princess and it's our duty to protect you." Rei was glaring down at the blond and the hanyou in muted anger. Her eyes narrowed further when they focused on the young man in front of her.

"We don't need your help, onna." Inuyasha said menacingly as his ears laid flat against his head. "I'm more than enough to protect her. You little light show with fake fire is worthless."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rei demanded as the pitch of her voice dipped menacingly.

"Keh! You really don't think I knew you were one of those Sailor whatsits?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk. "Humans may be fooled, but you can't hide you scent. Especially from a dog youkai." Inuyasha explained as he tapped his nose.

"Eh? You're one of the Sailor Senshi, Hino-san?" Usagi cried as a look of shock settled onto her soft features.

"Of course she is!" Luna said with a frown at the clueless blond. "Why else would we ask you to meet at the Hikawa Shrine?" Usagi just shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't psychic, how was she supposed to know what their meeting place meant.

"So which one are you, Hino-san?" Usagi questioned with a slight frown. Inuyasha looked over at the blond when he caught something in her scent. It was like the scent of great pain. Her eyes had lost their normal sparkle and she had the sad smile he remembered so well from his dreams.

"What does it matter?" Rei asked as she quirked an eyebrow at the blond girl.

"It matters." Usagi said as she raised her :eyes to the dark-haired girl. As she lifted her face, the smile slid from her lips and an intense look entered her cerulean orbs. Inuyasha had only known the girl for a short while, but he had never seen such a serious and intense look in her eyes before. A shudder ran down his spine as he memorized that look. He would have to make sure he hightailed it out of there if it was ever directed at him. Especially since she had control over him and could _'sit'_ him at any time.

Usagi was again reliving what had happened to her family at the hands of the Sailor Senshi. A deep frown crossed her lips as her memories began to replay in her mind's eye. It was something that had been happening at least once a day since that fateful day.

- l - l - l -

Usagi had been on clean-up duty at school and was leaving really late. Her partner for the week had been out sick so it had taken twice as long as it normally would have. She had to bang the dust from the erasers, wash the blackboard with a wet sponge, put all the chairs up on the desks and sweep the floor so the janitor could come in and buff it when the students left.

She sighed in annoyance as she rushed toward the park to meet her family. They were celebrating Shingo's award for the science fair project he'd worked on for the last several months. It was quite an accomplishment because of his young age. He'd been competing against kids twice his age and had taken first prize. To celebrate, they were having a cookout in the park and would be going to a huge arcade later that night, followed by an amusement park the next day.

Usagi glanced down at her watch and grimaced to herself. She was really running late. They were going to be leaving for the arcade soon and Usagi definitely didn't want to miss that. One of the things that Usagi and Shingo had in common and could connect on was their love of video games. Shingo would beat her at almost every game they played, but she would smoke him at the Sailor V games any day of the week. Shingo didn't much like the game but he had to play with her to pacify her so he could kick her butt at other games.

Usagi waited impatiently at the red light glancing down at her watch again. She could see the entrance to the park about a half a block in front of her but the light seemed to be taking it's sweet time on changing. She bit her bottom lip in frustration as she glared at the light, willing it to change. After several more seconds, the light finally changed and Usagi found herself running across. She kept up the pace and ran the remaining distance and turned into the entrance to the park.

As soon as she passed through the gateway, Usagi stopped and grabbed her chest as a tight pain gripped her heart. She felt a cold shiver course through her body as a feeling of dread settled onto her as the pain in her chest increased. Something horrible had happened or was happening at that moment. Usagi immediately pictures her family and her feet began to move on their own. She wasn't even aware that she was running as fear and dread gripped her entire being. She was running faster than she has ever run before as the feeling just seemed to increase. She had tunnel vision as she swerved around people trying to outrun the heavy cloud that seemed to be following her.

_'Please be all right, minna...'_ She silently begged as she leaped over a narrow stream and landed gracefully on the other side. Up ahead she saw a huge cloud of smoke and saw chunks of rock flying into the air. That was the area of the park where her family was supposed to have their cookout.

"Oh no..." Usagi said as she stopped dead in her tracks and watched the scene before her. She could see lightning crackle and shoot down from the

sky. Huge red and orange flames were visible above the trees as Usagi stared on in horror. "Shingo... mama... papa..." Usagi said quietly as she regained her composure and took off at a dead run, making her earlier dash look like a crawl.

"Shingo! Mama! Papa!" Usagi cried as she cleared the trees at top speed. She stared in horror at the scene before her. She saw her family all lying on the ground in what looked like a bubble full of water covering them completely. Standing above the still bodies was a giant monster with slightly humanoid features.

Perched on it's shoulder was a man with short blond hair and cold blue eyes. He was wearing a purple jacket with matching pants and had his arms crossed over his chest. There was a triumphant look on his lips as he watched five girls from the other side of the clearing. Usagi recognized them instantly as the Sailor Senshi that had been become fairly famous from all of the times they had saved people from monsters in the city of Tokyo. Usagi didn't pay any attention to the Senshi as she made a mad dash toward the unconscious forms of her family.

"Don't go out there!" A female voice yelled as Usagi made her way out into the open. She felt someone grab her from behind and then she was rolling across the hard ground. Usagi knew instantly that one of the Senshi had tackled her.

"Let me go!" Usagi screamed as tears filled her eyes. She tried to claw her way toward her family but was grabbed around the waist by a pair of arms. She fought against the girl preventing her from reaching her family as tears blurred her vision. "That's my family in there!" She cried as she continued to fight against the Senshi with raven-black hair that was preventing her from reaching the people she loved.

"You can't help them!" The senshi yelled as she tightened her grip on the blond and began to drag her backward. A tall Senshi with brown hair in a high ponytail ran up to help the dark-haired girl restrain Usagi.

"Iie!" Usagi screamed as she continued to fight to reach her family. "Mama! Shingo! Papa! I'm coming! Don't leave me!" Sobs racked the terrified girl's body as she saw her family getting further away. The two Senshi had picked her up and were taking her back under the cover of the trees.

- l - l - l -

Usagi snapped back to reality as the memories receded. Inuyasha looked at the girl curiously and confusion. Something very strange had just happened to the young priestess-in-training. Her scent had changed drastically multiple times in the last few seconds as she stared at the violet-eyed girl above her. It had gone from suspicion to extreme dread, then went to a supreme sadness. It was shortly followed by anger and then on to determination. Inuyasha made an extra mental note not to push her too far. He could be laid out for a month if he pissed her off too badly.

"It doesn't matter." A new voice said a Aino Minako walked up to the small group of people under the tree. "No matter how you feel, it's our duty to protect you." Minako said with a small smile. Inuyasha glared at the new comer and stood up in front of Usagi with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Like you protected my family?" A quiet voice asked from behind Inuyasha. Usagi was still seated on the ground. Her face was pointed slightly downward and her bangs were covering her eyes, which effectively hid her facial expression. Usagi rose to her feet and put her hand on Inuyasha's wrist. Her bangs were still obscuring her face as she stepped up beside the hanyou. "You couldn't protect them, so what makes you think you'll be able to protect me?"

Usagi looked up at the two assembled girls with tears of sorrow and anger brimming them. A guilty look appeared on Rei's face as she saw the expression on her face. Minako turned her face away as the painful memory resurfaced. She diverted her eyes as tears begin to fill her eyes as well.

"We're so sorry, Tsukino-san..." Aino Minako said as she felt a tear slide down her cheek. "We tried to save them... we really did."

"But when i tried to get to them to save them, you stopped me!" Usagi cried as the dam broke and tears streamed down her cheeks. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he saw the raw emotion on her face and he reached out a hand to the blond girl. He placed his hand lightly on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. He really hated to see the girl cry for some reason he couldn't quite understand. Some part of him wanted to take the petite blond in his arms, lick her tears away, and crushing her into his chest. He settled for just putting his hand on her shoulder, though. Usagi placed her hand on top of his and gave him a small smile. Inuyasha felt electricity shoot up his arm at the small touch from the blond girl and the thankful look she gave him. He felt his cheeks warm when she squeezed his hand lightly and turned her attention back to the two guilty-looking girls in front of her.

"If you had gone to them, you would have been killed too!" Rei protested as she looked back at Usagi and the demon standing beside her with his ears drawn back and a concerned look on his face.

"At least then I wouldn't have the hole in my chest that I can't fill!" Usagi cried as more tears leaked from her eyes. "I think I trust Inuyasha to protect me WAY more than I trust any of you!" Inuyasha felt his cheeks warm more at Usagi's words. She sounded like she truly trusted him. _'I'm just a hanyou... can I really live up to her expectations?'_ A sudden thought hit Inuyasha as a small wave of panic hit him. _'Wait a minute... Has she made me go soft? She's just a means to an end. Once I have the Shikon no Tama, I won't need her anymore.'_ Only... part of him was wondering if he could really stand to part from her.

"We're done, Usagi-chan!" Kagome announces as she and Kouga rounded the corner followed by Ginta and Hakkuka and several brown wolves. The two teenaged girls tensed as they saw the appearance of the newcomers. They definitely weren't human from the way they looked to the clothes they wore. "Hino-san, Aino-san?" Kagome questioned as she saw the two girls standing in front of Usagi. Kagome immediately noticed the tears streaming down her adopted sister's face as she stood glaring at the two girls in front of her. Kagome rushed to her friend, briefly noticing Usagi's hand covering Inuyasha's and a worried look on his face. "Are you all right, Usagi-chan?" Kagome asked as she reached out her hand to place it on her other shoulder.

"I'm fine, Kagome-chan." Usagi said with a watery smile. Kagome could see the pain in Usagi's eyes but didn't say anything else. She knew the only thing that could cause that look was mention of her family. Instead, Kagome turned a vicious glare on the two girls facing off with Usagi.

"I don't know what you said to upset Usagi-chan, but I think you'd better go find something else to do." Kagome said in a low, threatening voice. She hated to see her friend cry. She had enough happen to her in her life she deserved to have her past lie in the back of her mind. She was just beyond the grieving phase and was just heading down the path of healing. Surprisingly, the appearance of Inuyasha seemed to have pushed her down that path much farther than anything had since Usagi had come to live with them.

"It's all right, Kagome-chan. I'm going to go for a walk." Usagi said as she gave Kagome a reassuring smile to show she was really all right. Kagome knew she wasn't but also knew that Usagi needed some time alone. She smiled back at Usagi and nodded, taking her hand from her shoulder as the blond turned away from her. Usagi stopped after a few steps and looked back at Kagome. "I won't leave the barrier." With that, she disappeared around the corner of the house.

- l - l - l -

Kagome was annoyed that she lost. That meant she had to walk around the whole Hikawa Shrine to put the ofuda in place. Compared to her family shrine, this place was HUGE! She wouldn't have minded the walk so much if it had just been her and Kouga, but trailing behind them were Kouga's companions and several large, black wolves. She no longer feared them, they were very sweet to her since Kouga had taken a liking to her. They acted like over-grown dogs with her, nudging her hand so she would scratch their ears. What annoyed her is that she wanted a little alone time with Kouga so she could get to know him a little better. She also wanted to ask him the significance of the small mark on her neck. It hadn't been there until he'd kidnapped her several days ago.

"Ne, Kouga-kun." Kagome started as she looked at the confident wolf demon walking beside her.

"What is it, Kagome-chan?" Kouga asked as he flashed an award-winning smile at the petite girl walking beside him. He watched as her cheeks stained pink a little at the intimate name he used.

"Where did this mark on my neck come from?" Kagome questioned earnestly as her fingers lightly brushed over the small scar at the base of her throat. It was Kouga's turn to blush as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I marked you as my mate of course." He said as he quickly regained his confidence. In a wolf tribe, females always preferred aggressive males so he had followed his instincts and taken what he wanted. With that mark on her neck, and his scent clinging to her, only the strongest of demons would try to harm her.

Kouga's words hit Kagome like a slap in the face. She felt her eyes bulge and at first felt heat infuse her face. Her embarrassment quickly shifted and her eyes narrowed as anger suddenly leaped up from her belly. _'Marked me as his?'_ Her inner thoughts screeched as she felt a burning in her chest. Right at that moment, Kagome wished the spell that had been placed on Inuyasha's rosary hadn't been burned because she wanted Kouga to be

lying on his belly in the middle of a crater twitching.

"What the hell?" Kagome screamed as her anger reached the boiling point. "How dare you do something like that without my permission!" Kouga's confident smile melted from his face and was replaced by extreme confusion. He raised his hands on defense but wasn't able to get a word out as a resounding slap filled the air. Kouga felt his cheeks stinging and turned his head to look back at the pair of normally warm, chocolate colored eyes. The warmth was gone, there was fire flashing in her eyes as she pulled back her extended hand and prepared to swing again.

"Kagome-chan..." Kouga said slowly as he caught her hand in his when she swung again.

"Don't 'Kagome-chan' me!" Kagome cried as she tried to pull her hand free from his iron, yet gentle grip. She felt insulted to her core. _'Who is he to choose who I should be with?'_ She thought furiously as she tried to tug her hand free. "I'm and independent woman! I'm quite capable of choosing who I want to be with! Now let me go!"

A hurt look came onto Kouga's face as Kagome yelled. He had done what instinct had told him to do. It had told him to give her his mark to protect her and let every other demon know she was spoken for. He felt her trying to tug her hand free, but he held on. He had to make her understand. His hurt expression softened into a smile as he saw the fire in her spirit. She would make very strong pups indeed. He knew he never wanted to tame that fire in her. _'Her lips look so soft...'_ He thought to himself as he studied every detail of her face. _'I wonder what they taste like...'_

Kagome saw the hurt look cross Kouga's face and, though she felt bad, she was still burning with anger at the arrogant wolf demon in front of her. She tried to pull her hand free of his grip and was surprised when he placed the back of her hand against his chest and a soft smile crossed his features. She feel heat rush to her face when he reached his other hand up and traced it along her cheek softly, brushing a few strands of hair back.

"Wha..." Kagome started but stopped as she felt a pair of soft lips against her own. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw a face extremely close to hers. Her anger instantly faded into shock as her eyes slowly closed and she responded just as gently. All too soon, Kouga pulled back and looked into Kagome's eyes. His normal smug smile replaced by a soft expression.

"I knew you were special." Kouga said softly as he wrapped an arm gently around the blushing girl and pulled her into his warm embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'll protect you with my life, Kagome-chan."

- l - l - l -

Usagi stumbled onto the sidewalk that led up to the shrine when her foot met a crack. She felt her arms flail as she lost her balance. In horror, she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the impact. Instead of hitting the hard ground, Usagi felt herself sink into what felt like a lot of fabric like a sheet or curtain.

"Keh. How can a klutz like you expect to be a miko?" A slightly gruff, annoyed male voice asked. Usagi opened her eyes and looked up to see a pair of golden orbs looking down at her. She was against Inuyasha's chest, and he had one arm around her waist and the other on the middle of her back.

"Ar.. arigato, Inuyasha." Usagi said as a slight rose tint touched her cheeks of her tear-stained face. Usagi tried to pull herself from the hanyou's arms but he didn't budge.

"Stop crying." Inuyasha said as he raised one clawed hand and wiped a tear from her cheek. Usagi watched his face, looking for any sign of what he was feeling, but was unable to read his expression. She could feel more tears brimming in her eyes as she looked up at the handsome young man holding her in his arms.

"Inuyasha..." She breathed his name as the dam broke anew and she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. She knew... She knew somehow that he knew the pain of losing your family.

Inuyasha wasn't surprised when the blond human, Usagi, buried her head in his chest in a wave of fresh tears. He instinctively pulled her closer and stroked her hair with one clawed hand in a reassuring manner. He felt her small form shake with her sobs as he felt her warm tears soak into the fabric of his shirt. He slipped his hand around her waist and gently lifted her from her feet. She didn't even seem to notice as he leaped lightly onto the roof of the house and settled down on the warm tiles and pulled her quivering form into his lap. He could smell the salt from her tears as she readjusted slightly in his lap to find a more comfortable way to sit. Inuyasha felt heat infuse his face at the electric shock that seemed to run through his whole body at the slight movement.

After another fifteen minutes passed, Inuyasha could feel the shuddering spasms that were racking her body disperse to an occasional hiccup. Inuyasha was still stroking her silky hair absently when she raised her head from his chest. He saw a solitary tear sliding down her cheek and out of pure instinct, he leaned forward and licked the salty liquid from her cheek. He didn't notice the brilliant blush the tinged her cheeks as he pulled Usagi back into his chest.

- l - l - l -

"Where's Usagi?" Sango asked as she looked around the grounds for the familiar blond girl. Kagome stood in front of her with Kouga at her shoulder. His two friends stood several paces back engaged in quiet conversation.

"She went for a walk to clear her head. I think Inuyasha is watching over her." Kagome said quietly to the taller brown-haired taijiya. Sango's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the hanyou that had, up until recently, been after the Shikon no Tama and the two girls who were quickly becoming her closest friends. She didn't trust any youkai. A very tragic incident had happened a few years back. Before when youkai had still remained in the shadows and most people still believed them nothing more than legends.

- l - l - l -

Sango lived in a small village in northern Japan. Though it had all of the modern conveniences, indoor plumbing, electricity, telephone, and internet, it was still relatively back wood. The people of the village had a secret that every member kept close to their hearts. Even the slim few that ventured out into the world would hold this secret to their grave. Every member was taught to withstand truth serums and torture to keep this secret. They were the decedents of a clan of youkai exterminators that had passed on their weapons and skills throughout the five hundred years that youkai had lain dormant.

This, of course, wasn't the only secret withheld by the people of Sango's village, though. Sango had been taught well and hadn't revealed to anyone, including her new-founds friends, that in the cave hidden beyond the tiny village was a cave that held the secret to the creation of the Shikon no Tama. Even now, with the village destroyed and everyone dead, Sango couldn't find it in herself to reveal this to her friends. They would be upset with her for not telling them if it was ever revealed, but Sango was still unsure if she could trust those with demon blood who had become part of her small party.

The people of her village had become aware of the awakening of the demons fifteen years prior and had stayed hidden in the shadows slaying demons who became too bold. Sango had been taught well and was one of the top taijiya's from the village. She went on the frequent, secret missions to slay rogue demons that decided to attack humans. The worst day of her life was the first time her little brother, Kohaku, had joined their demon slaying party...

"What if I mess up, oneesan!" Kohaku whispered as he walked alongside his older sister. Their outfits were similar, hers with pink accents, his with blue. The masks used to block strong poisonous youki hung around their necks loosely. This was Kohaku's first time to be included in the taijiya party going to slay a demon. They kept their presence hidden among the masses by strategically placing moles in towns, villages, and cities to gather in-tell on where they have rebel youkai attacks. They would also follow whispered rumors, urban legends, and the occasional tabloid story. All-in-all, maintaining their secret presence and still doing what they were trained to do took a lot of work.

"You'll do fine, Kohaku." Sango said as she smiled down at her nervously fidgeting brother. "Father feels you are ready. Besides, when you aren't around, father praises you." She continued as she put a hand on Kohaku's shoulder. She noticed the pink tint appear across his freckled nose before a bright smile spread across his face and dispelled any of the remaining nervousness he felt. She smiled and pulled him to her side with her arm draped across his shoulders.

Unlike the relationship between most siblings, Sango and Kohaku didn't argue and bicker at all. Due to the close-knit nature of their community, there was little interaction with children their own age outside of the village. They made due with the few siblings and children that were around the same age. Sango had watched her brother growing up and been there when he fell. She even helped train him in the ways of the taijiya. It was more than just killing youkai. They had to learn about different poisons and natural remedies that grow native in different regions so if they were injured and separated from the group, they could tend to their own wounds. Not only that, but they had to know how to properly care for, repair, and recreate their weapon on the fly. The training was not just for the body, but the mind as well. Strategy and teamwork were a necessity to be a true taijiya. Sango was among the most elite team their village had to offer, which was also led by her father. That

was another reason for Kohaku's nervousness.

They were again following rumor that had trickled onto their radar, which brought them to a rather historic little town in the east. The main focal point of the village was an old palace which had been built during Sengoku Jidai, otherwise known as the feudal era or era of the warring states _(AN: That was the translation in a lot of the fansubs I watched)_. When they entered the town, a large cloud of jyaki seemed to be dangling above the palace, which was situated in the very center. To any normal person, this evil aura was unnoticed. Only those with spiritual powers or training like the taijiya were able to sense this negativity. Sango saw a visible shudder wrack Kohaku's body as they approached the palace on foot. The streets were strangely empty as they approached their destination. It was nearly sunset and the rumor said that a ghost would appear at night and drag off anyone who was left outdoors. This led to all of the citizens bolting themselves into their homes well before nightfall.

"Such horrible jyaki..." Sango mused to herself as she reached down and pulled her mask over her mouth and nose. Kohaku, observing his older sister, pulled his mask up as well, making sure it was tightly sealed to his face. Sango reached back and loosed her boomerang from her back, holding it at the ready as alertness set in. Kohaku observing his sister's precaution did the same, pulling the bone scythe from his waistband and grabbing the chain dangling from it in his other hand.

"Oh? So the Legends of an ancient youkai exterminating Clan is true." A deep, amused voice filled the air in the courtyard of the palace they had just entered.

"Come out where we can see you, youkai!" Sango's father yelled out, his voice booming and echoing around the courtyard. A deep, sinister laugh echoed around the slayers. They had unconsciously formed a circle, all of them facing outward, their weapons ready. With the echo, it was impossible to tell where the youkai was and where it would attack from. Sango's sharp eyes scanned the surrounding areas and locked on two dull red points of light to her right.

"Hiraikotsu!" She cried as she hurled her bone boomerang toward the glowing eyes with all the strength she could muster. The deadly weapon flew end over end into the gloom surrounding them. They all heard a roar of pain as the boomerang sliced through the figure in the fog.

As a unit, all of the taijiya ran toward the injured youkai. When they were closer, the figure of a giant spider stood before them on six legs, two of them having been severed by hiraikotsu. The boomerang had stuck in the mud bank of a small stream behind the angry youkai. Sango held up her right arm and a blade burst from against her forearm, glittering dangerously in the dim light.

Before anyone could blink, Sango's father and his right-hand man charged into the fray. The rest of the team hanging back to cover them if they needed it. Sango and Kohaku stood at the ready, being that they were the second wave of attack. As soon as their father and his partner jumped out of the way, the two of them joined the fray. Sango was the lead with Kohaku as her backup. His duty was to watch his sister's back as she attacked full-force. It was a simple, yet powerful strategy. Then again, the simpler the strategy, the easier it was to stick to.

"You're on, Kohaku!" Sango cried as she rushed in with her blade raised. She would distract the youkai to allow Kohaku to attack while she retrieved Hiraikotsu from the mud bank.

Kohaku gripped his scythe tighter and plunged in after his older sister. Sango slashed at the many eyes with her katana to blind it from Kohaku's form that was hidden behind her height. Sango smiled as she glanced back at her brother. They had a special connection most siblings didn't have. He had figured out her strategy without any words spoken between them. That's what made up the best taijiya teams. Being able to predict your partner's strategy without a word spoken between them. Sango's blade made contact with several of the tender eyes and she used the momentum of the attack to flip over the top of the giant spider and land softly behind it on the mud bank. "Now!" She cried as she reached one hand up and grabbed the tassels of Hiraikotsu.

"Hai!" Kohaku cried as he let loose the scythe he had been twirling above his head by the chain. At the same moment, Sango wrenched Hiraikotsu from the mud.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango cried as she threw the giant boomerang toward the giant spider in the same instant. The two weapons ripped through the youkai's body like a hot knife through butter. The scythe was wrenched back by Kohaku before it came near his sister and the giant boomerang made a wide circle, missing Kohaku, before it returned to it's wielder's hands, making her feet slide back in the slippery mud a few steps. After one more howl of pain, the spider collapsed to the ground and ceased all movement, dead in a pool of it's black blood.

"Not bad for a first time, Kohaku." Their father said as he placed a hand on the new taijiya's shoulder. He turned his stern face down to the boy and a slight smile touched his lips.

"Arigato, father!" Kohaku said returning the smile as he bowed respectfully to the head taijiya. Kohaku's father clapped him on the shoulder as they turned from the dead demon and all met up in the center to regroup.

"You did great, Kohaku!" Sango cried as she jumped over he dead spider and made her way to her brother, a bright smile lighting up her face, pride burning in her chest.

"You've slayed the monster!" A timid voice cried out. The group of slayers turned their eyes toward the small group of people that were timidly looking out one of the shoji doors of the ancient palace. They had stunned looks on their faces at the display of skill and power they had just seen.

"We've been saved!" Another voiced cried out as people stared to emerge from their homes. Sango, though, didn't relax. If the youkai was truly dead, why hadn't the jyaki that was hovering thickly over the town dissipate? Sango was searching for the source of the jyaki when she heard one of the slayers cry out in pain and collapsed in a heap on the barren ground.

Her eyes widened in shock at what her eyes met, though. Standing over the fallen man, scythe raised, was Kohaku. Blood was slowly dripping from the scythe as Kohaku raised he weapon over his head again and struck out against the other taijiya in the courtyard. Sango watched in horror as her brother struck again and again, bodies falling in his wake as crimson blood sprayed across his face and clothes and was absorbed by the parched earth underfoot.

"Kohaku!" Sango cried out in horror as he turned his eyes to her and raised his scythe once again. She blocked with Hiraikotsu, sending the scythe bouncing off to the left. Kohaku quickly recovered with a yank on the chain, the scythe returned to his hand. "What's gotten into you, Kohaku?" Sango screamed as she held Hiraikotsu up as a shield, blocking another attack. The next time the scythe came her way, Sango ducked and the chain wrapped around the top of the boomerang. With a sharp jerk, Kohaku pulled the oversized boomerang from Sango's hand and directed it over his head so it landed some distance behind him.

That's when Sango noticed it... there was something... a tiny spider? Behind his right ear with a shiny thread attacked to the back of it. Sango followed the thread with her eyes to the growing crowd behind her coming out of the palace. It didn't take her long to locate a smug-looking man in the midst of the crowd that a distinctly evil aura to him.

"I'll kill you, youkai!" Sango cried as she drew a katana from her side and turned her full attention to the youkai hiding in plain sight.

"They have gone insane! The ghost of that monster has made them turn on us!" The youkai cried as he pointed and accusing finger at Sango and Kohaku. "They'll kill us all!"

Sango wasn't fooled one bit. She ran full-speed toward the man striking up a riot ad jumped into the air, the only thing on her mind was freeing her brother from the demon's control. "Shine!" She cried as she sliced her sword down through the man. His body emitted foam and skin turned a sickly gray color. As her feet touched the ground, Sango felt an intense pain in the middle of her back, which causes her to freeze in her tracks.

Slowly Sango turned and her eyes met a pair of cold brown eyes devoid of any emotion. The scythe was wrenched ruthlessly from her back, forcing Sango's knees to give out and hit the ground. A shot rang out, followed by a second and a third and Sango watched in horror as bullets peppered Kohaku's body.

"Kohaku!" She screamed as she released the handle of her katana and rushed to her brother, shielding his body with her own. She felt bullets hit her, some passing all the way through into Kohaku. "Kohaku..." Sango whispered as she picked her head up. Pain shot through her body, but she ignored it. She raised a blood-stained hand an cupped his cheek. His eyes fluttered open and filled with tears.

"O... onee... san..." He whispered and his breath left his as his head slumped over to the side. Teas stung Sango's eyes as she drew his face back toward her and pressed her forehead against her.

"Kohaku..." She whispered as tears streamed from her eyes. The pain finally became too much to bare and her vision became hazy before everything went pitch black.

- l - l - l -

Sango snapped out of her reverie when she felt a pressure on hr backside. Her cheeks heated instantly as an embarrassed and angry blush appeared across the bridge of her nose.

"Ecchi!" Sango yelled at the top of her lungs as a resounding _'smack'_ filled the air.

"Ah, it was worth it..." Miroku said as he rubbed

his cheek with a contented smile on his face, a big red hand print evident on his cheek.

"Once we have Usagi, we can start the procedure of putting up the pure barrier." Kaede explained as she looked around the group.

"Her and Inukoro are on the roof." Kouga said jerking his thumb behind him, his mouth twisted in disgust at his insulting name for Inuyasha. Minako flinched slightly when they asked about Usagi, the guilt of their failure twisting her insides. The heart-broken, cold accusing stare still fresh in her mind. They were definitely not in for a easy job at this rate. Earning the trust of their Princess was going to be very difficult now.

Rei was looking at her hands, a scowl marring her normally beautiful features. She was aching with guilt inside but was trying her best to convince herself it was merely anger she felt down deep. She knew they had failed, but to see the results, to hear the loved one left behind mourn and accuse was really unsettling. She always thought she was strong and had gotten over feeling guilty for something she didn't do, but it was her duty to protect the weak and she had failed miserably. She frowned deeper and balled her hands in fists at her sides.

"I really think Usagi needs some time." Kagome said as she shot a glare at the two girls that had upset Usagi so badly. She was very protective of her adopted sister. Usagi might put on a brave face and hide the way she was feeling with a smile, but Kagome knew deep down, she was still feeling the pain of her loss as strongly as the day it had happened. "Besides, you guys were talking for a while, aren't you all hungry?"

- l - l - l -

Usagi felt tired and drained. She was aware of a pair of strong arms wrapped protectively around her and a chin was resting lightly on her shoulder. Her tears had ceased several minutes ago and now she just felt hollow and empty inside. She sometimes wished she had been with them when it had happened, but she would inwardly scold herself for that thought. She knew her family would be upset with her and scold her for thinking any such thing. That's why she would put on a brave face, smile and laugh and try to make the most out of life. She didn't even realize how much she liked life until she first met Inuyasha and had her life threatened. A soft smile graced her lips as she snuggled deeper into his broad chest and breathed in his scent. She felt safe with him now. He might be rude and arrogant and a complete jerk at times, but he had a gentle side as well. Usagi had a feeling she was the only one that had seen that side of Inuyasha in a very long time.

Inuyasha breathed in the scent of the girl in his arms. Her normal clean smell of lilies and soap overlaying the gentle scent of her filled his senses and made him feel slightly heady. The smell of salt was heavy in the air and he could feel the moist warmth of her tears soaking through his shirt. He tightened his arms around her small frame as she buried her face deeper into his chest, her arms moving from his chest to loop under his arms and wrap around his waist. He felt his face flush at the intimate contact as his body stiffened in surprise. He relaxed a moment later and on impulse, kissed her head softly and began stroking her hair reassuringly.

He was remembering the pain of when he lost his mother. He had been a young child, no older than six years old when she'd gotten sick. Even though she had once been the Princess of her land, no one would treat her illness since she had fallen in love with a youkai and had a bastard hanyou child outside of wedlock. Of course she and his father had been mated, life partners, and loved each other deeply. Human wouldn't accept her tie to Inu no Taisho and would call her a whore and shun her. She never let their words harm her, but Inuyasha felt a fury rise up inside him even now when he remembered. He tightened his grip on the blond girl tighter and sunk into his own recollections.

- l - l - l -

A young boy with long silver hair, golden eyes, and a red outfit was rushing through the trees at top speed. Held close to his chest was a multitude of bent stalks and partially wilted leaves. To an unskilled observer, the small bundle would be seen as just a bunch of weeds, but in actuality, then were herbs used to treat various injuries an illnesses.

Inuyasha gripped the precious bundle closer to his chest, trying not to crush them as he leaped over stumps and fallen branches. He had finally managed to evade the human villagers who had pursued him from the field he'd gotten them from. When his mother had fallen ill, he tried to go buy medicine from the villagers with money that his mother had made selling the fabrics and rugs she had woven.

Times were hard for everyone, especially for Izayoi and her young son since few people would do business with her no matter how good the quality. He had grown desperate and had to resort to taking the herbs under the cover of dark. He hadn't expected them to set people out at night to watch the fields. If he hadn't been a hanyou and used to the forest, he probably wouldn't have escaped. He had still taken several minor injuries during his run for freedom. He wiped his pained tears with an over-sized sleeve as he sped to his destination. There was no time to cry while his mother was suffering. Besides, he had received much worse injuries from the other children in the village.

Inuyasha burst unto a small clearing in the middle of the woods and quickly covered the distance to the small hut in the middle. There was a small field behind the house where they grew plants for food and a small shed beyond that for their sparse livestock. They consisted of half a dozen chickens that weren't laying eggs with ant consistency, an old goat with one teet _(AN: a family friend has a goat that lost her teet/'udder' in an accident)_, and a lonely cow whose milk was quickly drying up.

Inuyasha pulled back the cover hanging over the door and entered the dimly lit hut. The fire had burned down considerably, but it was still pleasantly warm within the confines of the walls. It had been weeks since Izayoi had been able to rise from her futon on the floor, he strength was nonexistent these days. Inuyasha was quiet as he picked up the stone pestle and cracked, clay bowl his mother always used to grind up herbs and dyes for the fabrics and threads she weaved. Working quickly and as quietly as possible so as not to awaken his mother, Inuyasha began to grind up the herbs. He put some more wood on the fire and a small kettle to warm some water for the herbal tea. He had seen his mother make the same tea for him when he was sick and frowned in concentration as he worked.

After several minutes, Inuyasha was able to put the herbs in the warming kettle. He wiped sweat from his brow, ignoring the dirty smudge on the back of his hand from the motion, and smiled in satisfaction as he caught the scent of the familiar mixture. It smelled just the way it did when his mother made it. He waited patiently until he saw bubbles in the kettle before he pulled it off the fire and poured it into an awaiting cup.

"Mom, wake up." Inuyasha said gently as he held the cup protectively with both hands. She had to drink every drop and she would get better. He had convinced himself she would be up again the next day laughing and playing with him. "I finally have some medicine to make you all better." His hopeful voice said as he smiled down at his mother's sleeping form. Izayoi's eyes fluttered open and looked up to meet the golden eyes of her only son.

"Inuyasha..." She breathed as a smile graced her lips. She reached up and stroked his cheek gently, brushing a few silver strands back from his face. She licked her thumb and rubbed a smudge of dirt off of his cheek.

"Do you feel better yet, mommy?" Inuyasha asked as he set the cup down and put his hand over his mother's on his cheek.

"Aa..." She said quietly as she continued to smile sadly at her son. She wanted so much to be there for her son, but she was starting to despair. She hadn't been able to rise in weeks, she knew things weren't looking good for her. Her arms were skinny and her hair was losing it's shine and luster.

"I have some medicine for you, mommy." Inuyasha said brightly as he took her hand with his and laid it gently at her side. He reached down carefully and picked up the cup filled with the medicinal tea he'd painstakingly made for his ailing mother. "Here, drink this." He raised the cup and held it close to her face as she slowly picked her head up from the pillow under her head. Just as the cup touched her lips, it shattered, showing warm tea all over Izayoi and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock as he saw the pieces of pottery fall to the ground. The liquid was slowly seeping into the dirt floor of the hut. Inuyasha placed his hands on the moist soil as tears started to fill his eyes.

"We won't allow you to do that, you little thief!" A voice cried from outside of the hut. Inuyasha stood and pulled back the flap covering the door and peeked out at the large group of village men assembled outside of the hut. There was one man standing out front fitting another rock into the sling he held in his left hand.

"I tried to pay you!" Inuyasha cried as angry tears filled his eyes. His mother needed that medicine and they had been preventing him from getting it.

"The world is better off without your kind, filthy half-breed!" Another villager yelled as he loosed a rock directed at the young silver-haired child peeking his head out of the hut.

"Mommy is sick! Please leave us alone!" Inuyasha cried as he stood protectively in the doorway.

"That whore deserves it for having a filthy hanyou!" Another villager cried. This enraged the rest of the gathered humans, their torches waving in the air.

"Kill the thieves!"

"Get rid of that whore!"

"Let's slay the demon!"

"Come on!"

Inuyasha shielded his head as a rain of stones fell down on his head. He cried out in surprise as something fast and loud hit the side of the hut with a solid _'thunk'_. He looked to his left and saw his haori sleeve pinned to the wall with an arrow. In a panic, Inuyasha fled back into the hut. He felt around under the floorboards and pulled out a knife that they used for preparing food and stood over his sick mother holding it up in defense, blocking his mother's prone form with his body. That's when he felt the temperature within the hut growing rapidly. He looked up and saw that the thatch above their heads was on fire. In a panic, he went to his mother's side and bent down and grasp her by the shoulder.

"Hurry, mommy!" Inuyasha cried as he tried to help her sit up. She complied weakly, leaning heavily on Inuyasha as she managed to get into a sitting position. "We have to get out of here!" They could hear shouting and various thing hitting the sides of the hut as Inuyasha struggled to get his mother to her knees.

"Inuyasha... please forgive me..." Izayoi said quietly as she managed to get onto her knees. "If we leave now... the villagers will kill us... we won't even reach the trees..." Inuyasha coughed as smoke began to fill his lungs. He attempted to pull his mother toward the door, but she just pulled her child to her chest and protected him from the blistering hot flames that were already licking at their clothes.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Inuyasha cried as he tried to pull himself from her arms to get them out of the burning hut. The smoke was thicker in the air and Inuyasha could feel himself slow down as the oxygen in the air depleted, feeding the flames. He felt something wrap around him and all he saw was red as he lost consciousness.

- l - l - l -

Inuyasha's eyes were clouded over as the old memory replayed vividly in his mind. When he'd woken up the next afternoon, he had been partially buried in the ash wrapped tightly in the Robe of the Fire-rat, which he still wore to this day. He pulled Usagi tighter into his chest as his eyes closed. Finally he had someone he could connect to, someone who had lost someone they loved to a tragedy. He felt sorrow for the blond girl because he knew the pain she was suffering only too well.

He was enjoying the warmth they were sharing when she stirred and pushed herself gently back from his chest. She smiled sadly up at him, cerulean blue meeting crisp gold in a profound gaze. Inuyasha felt a sudden warmth in his chest as some of the pain and sadness he'd felt for so long seemed to lessen. Without thought, he felt his body leaning forward, his face closing in on her soft pink lips. He was vaguely aware of her eyes closing as he leaned in and his lips claimed hers. An explosion went off in Inuyasha's head at the light touch of his lips over hers. He felt an electric shock run from his lips all the way down to his toes, then back up to his head, all of the hairs on his body standing on end as goosebumps burst out on his skin.

He was right... her lips were super soft... her taste delicious... She leaned into him, her soft hands reaching up to cup his face, one hand on each cheek. A low growl sounded in the back of his throat as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight to his chest and he deepened the kiss. He felt her lips part as she gasped slightly and he took this opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Another explosion shot through his body as he tasted her, running his rough tongue along hers hungrily. He trailed his hand up her back, running his fingers through her silky, golden hair. Inuyasha felt heat infusing his whole body as the kiss continued. After several more seconds, both of them had to pull back for air. Inuyasha crushed her tiny frame into his chest as he continued to stroke her hair with one clawed hand, both of them panting for breath.

**::FIN::**

Well, that's it! Here's a nice, 13 ½ page chapter for you! I hope there's still some people interested in this story!


	18. Chapter 17 Visions of the Past

**Uragirimono**

Notes: I was a bit bummed that I only got three reviews (again) for the last chapter *pouts* Anyway, took a while to write this one because I got stuck on my Inuyasha non-crossover "Kurayami no Naka de Hikari" SERIOUSLY enjoying writing that one. Finally have an advance in the storyline instead of just flashbacks. I think I finally have a more direct path for this one to follow, hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: 13pages/7,906 words, I (of course) don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon or the characters therein. Please do not steal my plot-line, it'll make reading my story boring to everyone else!

Thoughts are _'italicized'  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized_(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc…

**Chapter 17 – Visions of the Past**

Everyone had gone inside the shrine to eat lunch and had been inside nearly a half an hour before Usagi and Inuyasha entered hand in hand. Both of them were blushing and avoiding eye contact.

"Feeling better, Usagi-chan?" Kagome asked with a smile. Usagi nodded her head with a small smile and immediately looked down at her feet, blushing to the roots of her hair.

"Much better." She mumbled as she reluctantly let go of Inuyasha's hand and took a seat on the floor next to Kagome. Inuyasha followed behind her and sat between Usagi and Miroku. He sat partially facing Miroku with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. Miroku nudged Inuyasha in the ribs and gave him a smirk and a wink. This prompted a soft 'keh' from the silver-haired hanyou.

Neither Inuyasha nor Usagi spoke much as they ate even though everyone around them was conversing softly.

"Come on, Kagome-chan." Kouga said as he flashed a smile at the raven-haired girl. Usagi noted how Kagome's shoulders stiffened as she pointedly put her back to him. A smile touched Usagi's lips as she noticed her friend's flushed cheeks. "How long are you going to ignore me?" He asked as his smile fell off and he looked down at his plate dejectedly, moving the few remaining noodles around his plate with a set of chopsticks.

"Did I hear an insensitive, sexist man say something?" Kagome said as a blank expression settled on her face while she picked up her tea cup and took a sip. His face fell further if that was possible, his two friends sat next to him nudging each other in the ribs.

"Gomen..." Kouga mumbled completely out of character. He looked truly miserable. Kagome turned around to look at him sternly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Good." She said seriously. "Just as long as you don't decide the way things are on your own anymore, you're forgiven." Kagome said, fighting the smile that tugged at her lips when she saw hope fill his eyes.

Usagi smiled at the look on her friend's face. She had a pretty good idea of what had happened between her and Kouga that afternoon. It brought back the memory of her moment with Inuyasha. She never would have guessed that the guy had tried to kill her a few days before would be kissing her on the roof. She felt her face heat up again at the memory and turned back to her food. She wasn't very hungry, though, which seemed to surprise Kagome. Usagi was mostly just moving food around on her plate. When she looked at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye, he was blatantly ignoring the suggestive smirk on Miroku's face and eating his own food. She noticed his eyebrow twitch every now and then in annoyance.

"Once the moon has risen, we're going to place the holy barrier around the city." Rei's grandfather said conversationally as he took a sip from his tea. Silence immediately fell around the table as its occupants waited for further instructions. When he didn't elaborate, Miroku picked up to explain the details to those who hadn't been present in the instructional phase.

"Everyone with spiritual power will be positioned on the outskirts of the city evenly." Miroku started, becoming completely serious without any prodding. "I have some ofuda with the same charm written on them. I'll show you how to infuse your power into the charm and the one leading the circle will be able to draw your powers into the holy object that will create the barrier. Once it has enough energy, it will be self-sustaining and we'll only have to recharge it every few months."

"So who's the central focus?" Rei asked, watching the monk intently. She seemed rather confident that she would be the one selected.

"Well, it's really a tossup between two people for who is the strongest among us." Miroku started again as he raised his tea to his lips and took a sip. "I think the focus person should either be Kagome or Usagi."

"What?" Rei cried in dumbfounded shock as she slapped her hands down on the table. "Those two don't know ANYTHING about being a miko! How could either of them possibly be able to create a holy barrier this large?"

"The creation of the barrier is actually rather easy." Miroku said simply as he turned his calm look to the fiery priestess across the table. "If you don't have someone extraordinarily powerful, the barrier will collapse in mere days or even minutes."

"I suppose we'll have to test them to decide who is the stronger miko is." Kaede said simply as she smiled at the two girls.

Kagome gripped Usagi's hand under the table with a reassuring squeeze and a soft smile. They didn't care who got to do it as long as their friends and family would be safe from youkai attack. Then they would probably reinstate classes, which neither girl was particularly looking forward to.

"Now the barrier won't destroy the youkai already in the city unless they happen to be directly under the barrier when it falls. So Kouga, Inuyasha and their friends will have to remain in the center of the city." Kaede explained with a stern look. The expected arguments came moments later.

"Keh! I'm not letting her out of my sight until we have all of the Shikon shards!" Inuyasha growled as he stood and pointed at the blond next to him.

"I'm not gonna let my woman risk her life without me there to protect her!" Kouga yelled as he stood next to Kagome and growled at the old woman.

"So all you care about is the shards?" Usagi asked as angry tears filled her eyes. "Fine then." She paused for a moment and Inuyasha visibly tensed, waiting for the dreaded word. He glanced back at her and his shoulders relaxed as his normal smirk settled back into place. "Osuwari."

"Gck!" Inuyasha's shout of surprised was muffled as he ate floor.

"Baka!" Usagi cried as she jumped up from the table and immediately headed for the door. "I'll be out here when you're ready to do the test." She called back as she slid the door closed behind her.

"You are a baka." Miroku murmured as he took another sip of his tea.

- l - l - l -

Usagi was hurt and fuming as she walked out into the shrine grounds. Inuyasha had been so sweet and understanding only a half an hour before, she had no clue what had prompted him to start acting like an arrogant jerk again.

"Stupid Inuyasha!" Usagi growled as she kicked a stone and watched as it flew over the top step of the Hikawa Shrine.

"Itai!" A male voice cried a moment later and Usagi squeaked in surprise. She hadn't even considered someone might have been coming up the stairs when she'd sent the stone flying.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Usagi cried as she ran to the edge of the stairs and peered down at who she'd managed to bean with the stone. "Seiya?" She questioned in surprise when she saw the tall, dark-haired pop star.

"Odango?" Seiya looked as surprised to see Usagi as she was to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit the priest of the shrine with friends." Usagi explained as she ran down a few stairs to meet him. "I didn't even think before I kicked that stone." She admitted sheepishly.

"Such a klutz, Odango." He said as he ruffled her hair.

"Oi!" She cried as she ducked away from his hand and began fixing her bangs. "Mou... now they're sticking up everywhere." She grumbled to herself.

"So, do you have any clue why the demons seem to avoid this place?" Seiya asked nonchalantly as he sat down on the step. Usagi noticed a small gash on his forehead and pulled a small handkerchief from her pocket that had a pink bunny holding its fingers in a 'V'. She sat down beside him and wetted the cloth with her mouth before she gently dabbed at the blood.

"There's a pure barrier around this place." Usagi explained as she gently dabbed the blood away. "Just like the one around the Higurashi Shrine. No youkai can pass through without being purified." Usagi explained. She was able to see the actual barrier because she had spiritual power but Kaede had explained those lacking spiritual powers would see nothing out of the ordinary.

"How do you know all of this?" Seiya asked as he caught Usagi's hand and stared her in the eye intently.

"Kaede-sama told us all about it." Usagi said simply as she reached into a small pouch that hung from her belt. She had begun carrying it just a few days prior and had filled it with a few minor medical supplies and a needle and thread. Though she hoped no one would need to be sewed up since she wasn't very good with a needle. She took out a band aid and a small alcohol pad and dabbed at the small scratch to make sure it didn't get infected.

"So, you know a lot about this stuff." Seiya said as he leaned back with his elbows on the step above them.

"Not really. Kaede-sama has only been teaching us for a few days." Usagi admitted truthfully as a sweatdop appeared on her forehead.

"Well, I think you'd look cute in a miko outfit." Seiya said with a wink. Usagi's face promptly began to grow red in embarrassment.

"Y... you think so?" She asked shyly. She may not have known he was a famous pop star when she'd met him, but she suddenly became aware of it at that moment.

"Usagi-chan?" She heard Kagome's voice calling from the courtyard above.

"You should probably come up to the shrine where you'll be safe until after the moon rises." Usagi explained as she put the band aid in place and rose to her feet. "Most of the neighbors out by Higurashi Shrine are doing the same." She explained as she climbed the steps to meet her friends.

- l - l - l -

"Are you sure about this?" Usagi asked as Kagome tied the blindfold around her eyes.

"This is what Kaede said the best way to test our strength." Kagome explained with uncertainty apparent in her tone. "We're supposed to use spiritual power to sense the target."

"Hai hai..." Usagi said nervously as Kagome placed the bow in the blonde's hands. Usagi pulled an arrow out and clumsily nocked it. She pulled the bowstring taut with her wrist behind her ear and paused. She pictured the bulls-eye as she had seen it moments before with her mind's eye. She was uncertain as she adjusted her aim but suddenly as she moved, there was a spot that somehow felt 'warm'. That's the only way she could describe it, warm and safe. She zeroed in on that feeling and loosed the arrow, hearing the dull thunk as it hit the target.

"No way! That was just a lucky shot!" She heard Rei cry from behind her as she gingerly peeked out from under the blindfold. To her shock, the arrow had buried itself dead-center in the bulls-eye.

"I agree, that has to be a fluke." Usagi said as she pulled the blindfold off and let the bow hang at her side.

"Tell me child, did you feel anything when you fired that arrow?" Kaede asked warmly as she smiled at Usagi.

"Well... there was one spot that felt... warm... so that's where I aimed." Usagi explained slowly, hoping she didn't sound completely stupid. Usagi was surprised at the smile and hug the elderly woman gave her then.

"It was no fluke, child." She declared proudly. "Ye trusted in yourself and your power led you to the target." Kaede explained looking like Usagi had achieved something very incredible. "Now Kagome-sama. It be your turn."

Kagome visibly had to calm herself by taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Kagome took the bow from Usagi and allowed her blond friend to tie a blindfold on her before she took Usagi's place in front of the bulls-eye. Kagome took a deep breath as she nocked her arrow much more smoothly than Usagi had. She took a deep breath a leveled it on the area of the target, searching for anything to indicate she was aiming true like Usagi had.

She felt something burning deep in her chest... it flickered... then it flared back up and Kagome released the arrow as the fire began to sputter and diminish. She heard the familiar thunk of the arrow striking the bulls-eye before she carefully lifted the blindfold and pulled it off. Her arrow stood out next to Usagi's just a few inches outside of the bulls-eye. Kagome felt slightly disappointed when she saw Usagi's shot was closer but immediately ignored it since she didn't necessarily want the responsibility of leading something she had only heard about in pieces from her goofy, old grandfather.

"So it's settled then. Usagi-sama will lead in the barrier creation." Miroku declared.

- l - l - l -

It had been hours since they had planned out what they were going to do and it was finally time to execute. They had been drilling the ceremony into Usagi all day and making sure she could pronounce the words properly all day. She was extremely nervous, butterflies the size of bats were fluttering in her stomach. She was dressed in the traditional red and white of a miko and held the ornate, golden antique carefully so she wouldn't drop it in a klutz-attack.

Inuyasha had insisted on staying with her in the center of the city. He said he didn't care if he was purified again, he wasn't about to leave her up there alone until she gave him the few shards they had collected. Usagi had a feeling he wasn't being completely honest. He'd been acting funny since she'd sat him earlier, almost as if he were sulking. She put him out of her mind, she was supposed to be clearing her head and focusing her spiritual power.

Everyone else was supposed to be in position in about fifteen minutes along the outskirts of the city. A few wolves had gone with each person to protect them if need be since the barrier wouldn't harm the wolves. Kouga had sent most of his tribe save himself, Gina, and Hokusai into the northern mountains. The three wolves had returned to the Higurashi Shrine to further protect them from any ill effects of the barrier creation.

Usagi double-checked to make sure everything was ready for the ceremony. Sitting on a stand before her was a rather ancient-looking book pinned open to the ritual with clips to make sure the wind didn't flip the pages mid-sentence. Check! Next she made sure all five charms were in place surrounding her and lined up with each of her friends who were lending their spiritual powers to the ritual. Check! Dagger for the offering... Usagi cringed at this one but knew it was necessary and checked to make sure the ornate, silver dagger was still snug at her waist. Check! All was ready, now just to wait for the allotted time to ring. She was on top of a building in the middle of the city and could clearly see the waning moon. If was just barely passed full as it waned toward the new moon. She just had to wait for it to reach its peak in the sky.

Usagi and Inuyasha didn't speak as the tension seemed to intensify with each passing moment. Usagi jumped and cried out in surprise when the alarm on her phone went off, indicating the ritual would start in another five minutes. She stepped up to the makeshift podium and glanced down at the page. She held the golden ornament of power over her head and began chanting the incantation written in the book.

After reading several lines, Usagi drew the silver dagger from her belt and also held it above her head. The antique floated above her hands a few inches as the five seals began to glow around her. Lines of white light connected the seals and shot up above her into the golden object that seemed to be emanating power from its very core. The pillars of light shot out from five points on the edge of the city and arched up to meet the object above Usagi's hands.

"With the healing blood of this sacrifice, I beg for protection from evil!" Usagi yelled out into the night sky as she drew the dagger sharply across her palm. She reached up and grabbed the object with her bloody palm, the dagger hanging loosely at her side as she tried to hide her wince of pain. Her full concentration was on the sky above her, but she could feel something being funneled through her and into the glowing object that held her feet several inches off the ground. That's when something she didn't anticipate happened...

A beam of light shot down directly from the moon and bathed her in pale light. It was really bright in the center as the light built in intensity until Usagi was forced to squeeze her eyes shut.

Inuyasha stood up from his position on the ground and approached the glowing circle. He hadn't been told anything about the beam of light shooting down from the moon. He felt electric shocks of spiritual power spidering across his body as he approached the glowing dome that encased Usagi. He dimly made out the glowing pink ribbons surround her body and formed that strange white gown she had worn before.

He shielded his eyes against the glare and growled low in his throat as he pushed off from the ground and jumped into the air to grab the blond girl. He yelled in anger and pain as he forced himself through the forming barrier. His eyes grew dim as the pain of having his youki being purified tried to drag him into unconsciousness, but he forced himself through. He felt a desperate need to get to the blond girl. Something assuredly had gone wrong; as he drew closer he could hear her screaming in pain. Something told him if he could just reach her, she'd come through this just fine. When he felt his hand close on her wrist, the blinding light exploded into oblivion and he knew no more.

- l - l - l -

Inuyasha opened his eyes and painfully looked around. He was really getting sick of having his youki purified all the damn time! It always made him feel weak and wobbly until it returned. The worst part was after it returned; his muscles would feel like rubber and it would take all night to recover.

"Stupid human..." He muttered as he forced himself to his knees. When he finally rose to his feet, he took his first look around. He was no longer on top of the roof... hell; he was no longer in that human city at all! Where he was, though, Inuyasha could only guess. As far as he could see, all that met his vision was ruins of some ancient civilization. There were smashed pillars and toppled arches all laying in heaps on the ground. They were all made from the same pristine, white stone that seemed to sparkle in the dim light.

He sniffed the air and caught the sweet scent of the blond human off to his right. The sweet smell of her blood stirred something deep in his chest that he couldn't describe. He would almost say he was excited to scent her blood, or maybe enticed was a better word? He couldn't decipher the strange sensation.

He tracked her scent to a short distance away and found her unconscious on a clear patch of ground. It appeared to have been some sort of huge gazebo at one point but all of the encircling pillars had long since been toppled. What perplexed Inuyasha the most was the lack of any plants or wildlife of any kind. A place like this should be entombed in creeping vines and weeds should have long-since sprung from the cracks. The deathly silence had him on edge as he ears constantly twitched to try and catch any sound besides Usagi's soft breathing and his heartbeat pounding in his chest.

He gently scooped up the blond girl and awkwardly positioned her on his back so he held her by her knees and her arms hung over his shoulders. Her face was buried in his hair as he slowly picked his way through the debris, looking for any clue as to where 'here' was.

"Inuyasha..." A faint, silvery voice crooned close to his ear. His head snapped around, searching for the origin of the voice. No one... There was not another living creature in sight and the voice, while beautiful, had been too mature to have been Usagi mumbling in her sleep. "Inuyasha... such a bea... ful... skyyy..." The voice whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear, though it was broke as if it had come to him on the wind. Only... there was no wind in this place... it was like another alien world that had died centuries ago.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat at the invisible phantom that seemed to be following him and glanced at the starry sky. He found it odd he could see the stars but it wasn't dark out at all. His mouth dropped open in shock as he took in the scene before him. Instead of seeing the moon hang in the sky above him, Inuyasha saw a glorious blue ball above him. He could see white wisps across dark brown and green patches and instantly knew he was looking at his home. There was no other explanation except that they were somehow ON the moon.

"Very good, Inuyasha." The mature, female voice said clearly from right behind him. He spun around, releasing one of Usagi's legs and preparing a clawed hand for enemy attack.

"Be at peace, Inuyasha." The woman said with a tinkling giggle. She looked like Usagi only older. There were slight differences, though. Instead of the ocean-deep, cerulean blue eyes, hers were lavender bordering on gray that looked timeless. She wore her hair in the same ridiculous style but it was silver and lay in piles on the ground. She even wore a similar gown that hugged her form and also fell in folds on the debris-strewn ground. The same upturned, golden crescent moon graced her brow as Usagi.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha asked as he gave the woman a suspicious look without relaxing his alert stance. She laughed another musical laugh while she shook her head. There was a sad smile gracing her lips as she faced the nervous hanyou.

"Please be at ease. I am called Serenity-sama, Queen of the long ago Moon Kingdom." The woman explained while trying to soothe the hanyou's unease. "Selenity-hime there is my daughter." The woman explained sadly.

"What the hell are you talking about, lady?" Inuyasha demanded as his eyes narrowed on the woman. He had learned earlier that day that Usagi's mother had been killed. Not to mention this female had called her by a different name and 'princess' no less! Then again, those sailor chicks had called her princess too...

"I will tell the whole story as soon as I awaken my daughter." Serenity said as she approached Inuyasha. He immediately dropped into an attack stance at the approach of the woman, who didn't see the threat because she kept walking. Inuyasha lashed out, swiping his claws through the flesh of her throat and fell forward as his claws met nothing. They had gone right THROUGH her! That's impossible, though! Another tinkling laugh as she ran her hand through Usagi's bangs. The girl immediately stirred and picked her face up with a deep yawn.

"I am merely a shadow walking this plain. Your claws cannot hurt me, Inuyasha." She explained at his apparent shock. "My body died long ago. I must tell you both a very long story."

Usagi yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Her mind was fuzzy and she couldn't seem to recall where she was or how she got there. She noted vaguely that she was laying against something soft and warm that smelled really good and buried her face deeper into something that felt like silk against her face.

"Oi... are you paying attention, human?" Inuyasha's irritatingly dry voice broke into Usagi's hazy musings.

"Wha? Inu... yasha?" She questioned as she picked her head up off of his back. Her face had been pressed into the silky strands of his silver hair as he held her piggyback against him. "Gomen!" She cried as she pushed away and found her feet, though not without stumbling and nearly face-planting into the rubble-littered ground.

"Where are we?" She asked as she surveyed her surroundings. She took in the ruins and the strangely starred sky. She even took in the strange woman that looked eerily familiar bit got the shock of the lifetime when she looked into the sky for the comfort of the moon and instead saw a glowing blue orb floating in the moon's place. "Eh? Is that the earth?" She demanded in shock as she turned her attention to the silver-haired woman before her. The woman laughed a silvery laugh and Usagi simply raised an eyebrow. She didn't know how her question was funny.

"You don't know how good it is to see you, my daughter." Queen Serenity said with a watery smile. Usagi gave the tall woman a confused look and clung to Inuyasha's arm tightly. "You look so much like Selenity-hime."

"Look if you're going to start telling me I'm some princess, you can save your words." Usagi said skeptically as she eyed the regal woman. This was answered with another musical laugh.

"Oh Selenity, you are just the same." Queen Serenity said with another sad smile. "You never did act much like how a princess should act. You always questioned everyone and dressed yourself even when you had servants to do that for you."

"I'm sorry ma'am." Usagi said slowly, the women somehow seemed familiar but it made Usagi uncomfortable that she was calling her 'daughter'. "I really don't know you."

"I know you do not remember, Selenity." She said with a smile. "That is the way I wanted it. When you and your Senshi were killed, I used my power to ensure that you would be reborn in the future during a peaceful era so you could live a happy, normal life." Usagi gave her a confused look, not knowing whether to believe her story or not.

"That doesn't make much sense..." Usagi said slowly. The tall woman reached out two fingers and pressed them to Usagi's forehead. Inuyasha growled low in his throat and tried to end the contact only to have his hand go right through her arm. After a moment, the marks in the two females' foreheads began to glow and pulse in unison. Sensing this large pulse of energy, Tetsusaiga resonated with them, pulsing in time with the bright flashes of light. One flash was particularly bright and blanked his vision, causing him to see only white.

- l - l - l -

When Inuyasha opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a soft bed under smooth, silk sheets. He rose and noticed his shirt was off and glanced around the spacious, ornate room to find his robe of the firerat hanging in a white wardrobe. He glanced around the room in vain, trying to catch the scent of the blond woman who so often filled his mind these days. He caught a faint whiff of her scent and headed out onto the balcony.

Looking down off the balcony, Inuyasha saw the blond girl, clad in an elegant white dress leaning over a pool of crystal clear water where she dragged her fingers serenely through the water. He could see flashes of color as the light glinted off fish scales and her musical laughter filled his ears. The building and structures in the courtyard sparked a memory but he couldn't quite place it.

Inuyasha rose from the balcony and jumped off into the grass below, ignoring the fact that he was several stories up. His bare feet touched the grass and he walked toward the blond. His breath hitched in his throat as she looked up at him with a wide, carefree grin. Her eyes sparkled happily and the sadness he always saw in their depths was gone.

"There you are, Inuyasha!" She said happily as she rose from the ground, wiping her wet hand on the elegant gown. There were grass stains on the long skirt and a few dirt smudges on her arms and clothes, but she didn't seem to care. In fact, she seemed completely carefree and genuinely happy! "I thought you were going to sleep all day!"

"Usagi..." He breathes as the beautiful young woman danced up to him and laid her head against his chest. He felt his arms encircle her tiny waist as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you could come!" Serenity said happily when she picked her head up several moments later. "I'm of marrying age now, Inuyasha. Well as soon as we have my birthday party tonight." Inuyasha felt his face heat at her pronouncement and suddenly felt nervous. He wasn't sure what to say to that. This Usagi had the same personality but she seemed somehow closer to him. When she had been in his arms, she had felt so perfect and had melded into him beautifully.

"Come on, Inuyasha! Mother wants to eat lunch with you so she can get to know you!" Usagi said as she took his hand and ran toward the massive palace across the lush, green courtyard.

The area around him seemed to melt and smear like a watercolor painting that had been dropped in a bucket of water. The colors swirled around and eventually sharpened into another room. They were obviously inside the palace, sitting at a small round table big enough for the three of them.

"So, Inuyasha." Queen Serenity said as she set her cup down with a twinkle in her eyes. "How long has my willful child been sneaking to the earth to see you?"

"For as long as I can remember." He said as he set down his chopsticks. Inuyasha didn't know what that answer meant, but he knew it was accurate.

"Well then..." Queen Serenity said; her eyes suddenly stern and Inuyasha felt a flutter of nervousness in his stomach. He knew this woman was meeting him like this to make a big decision, he just didn't know that she was deciding on. "Now if I approve this request, will you be able to provide protection for my daughter."

"Yes." Inuyasha answered without thought, his eyes set in determination. "I have always put her life before mine and as a hanyou; I'm stronger than a human." This seemed to please the elegant Queen because she positively beamed down at the silver-haired hanyou.

"Very well, Inuyasha." She said and Inuyasha heard an excited squeal from the blond beside him as she griped his arm gently and pressed her body against his. "You have my approval to marry my only daughter." Inuyasha felt joy explode inside him as she gave him her consent. "Your engagement will be announced tonight at your birthday party." Serenity said with a congratulatory smile. The scene around them seemed to fade and blur again. The colors swirled and reset and Usagi found herself sitting at a vanity in her room, her hair hanging loose and a brush in her hand. The door behind her flew open with a crash and a raven-haired man with ice blue eyes stormed into the room. He was dresses in a blue and red outfit that was fit for a king and had a sword hanging at his side.

"What's this I hear about an engagement, Selenity-hime?" He demanded angrily as he snatched the brush from her hand and smashed it into the mirror, drawing a startled scream from her mouth as shards of glass rained down into her lap. She jumped up in surprise and one of the shards grazed her arm as she stood abruptly, leaving a long gash on her forearm.

"What is the meaning of this, Endymion?" She demanded as she cradled her bleeding arm. Endymion advanced on her, grabbing her wrist roughly and pulling her against his chest tightly. He leaned down and kissed her roughly, forcing his tongue into her mouth. She screamed and struggled as his tongue ran against hers while he dominated her mouth. Outraged tears formed in her eyes as she bit down roughly on his bottom lip.

"How dare you!" Endymion yelled as he drew back his hand and back-handed her, sending her crashing to the floor. "We have been all but promised for each other since the day you were born! I won't let some little 'hanyou' steal what's rightfully mine!" He grabbed Usagi by the shoulders and flung her on the bed. He jumped on top of her and straddled her hips while he pinned her arms above her head.

"Stop Endymion!" Selenity cried as tears feel freely down her cheeks. "You've always been a big brother to me! I don't love you that way!" She cried desperately as she saw him tugging at his sword belt, tossing it aside.

"Shut up. When I'm done, you'll remember your place at my side. No creature who has not a drop of Lunarian blood will put a finger on you." He said in a low, dangerous voice. His breathing grew labored as he finally managed to undo his pants and shove them down his thighs. He released Selenity's hands long enough to tear the skirt of her underdress away, revealing white, lacy panties.

"No! Stop!" She cried as she fought to push him off of her partially exposed body. The raw desire in his eyes terrified her as she fought to be released. A flicker of anger filled his blue eyes and he slapped her harshly, sending her reeling into a dizzy spell.

She silently cried as she tried to remain conscious but was aware enough to know he had ripped her remaining clothing away and was running his hands over her unwilling body. She sobbed harder when she felt his mouth close on one of her exposed breasts and she weakly pushed against him. His manhood pressed against her entrance and she sobbed all the harder as she felt him trying to penetrate her innocent body. Having pushed away some of the dizziness, she resumed the fight, not allowing him to enter her as he desired.

"Stop Endymion!" She shrieked again as she continued to fight. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha, help!"

As if saying his name had been a summons, the silver-haired hanyou burst into the room through the open balcony and buried his fist in the face of the man assaulting HIS mate. Endymion flew backward and his head slammed against the wall, knocking him unconscious from the impact. Inuyasha immediately turned back to the woman he loved and gathered her into his arms, holding her against his chest as he stroked his hair.

"I'm sorry I took so long." Inuyasha whispered into the sobbing girl's ear as he stroked her hair soothingly. "I came when I smelled your blood but there was some barrier on the door that kept us out."

"Thank you, Inuyasha!" She sobbed as she clung to his shirt and allowed him to comfort her.

"Fire soul!" A voice sounded through the door as whatever barrier had been there was destroyed and fire destroyed the beautiful door. Four girls rushed inside followed by Queen Serenity to survey the scene. The colors melted and smeared and swirled around revealing a new place, a new day.

Inuyasha found himself standing in front of a large crowd of people, it must have been everyone in the whole Moon Kingdom gathered around and held back by ropes. There were four women in identical, different colored gowns standing to one side and young men dressed in elegant, European style outfits mirroring them across a long, white rug. Inuyasha noted Queen Serenity sat in an elegant chair behind the girls as she watched. When Inuyasha looked down, he wasn't wearing his traditional robe of the fire rat, but he instead wore an elegant kimono in the traditional Japanese style they wore for weddings. He swore inwardly as a blush stained his cheeks. What shocked him the most was the fact that his older brother, Sesshoumaru stood behind him wearing a regal kimono of his own and looking every bit the Great Lord of the West and strongest of the remaining daiyoukai of earth.

The faint music suddenly changed and those seated in white chairs rose and turned to look down the long carpet away from Inuyasha in anticipation. Inuyasha swallowed the lump in his throat as a beautiful Usagi appeared at the end of the carpet and people applauded and cried as she slowly made her way down the aisle holding a beautiful arrangement of white moon lilies with various accents of baby's breath and bell-shaped lily of the valley from earth.

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat as his eyes took in the form of the woman before him. She wore an elegant, white dress that flared out at the waist and trailed after her as she made her way toward him. Her hair was done in the usual style, the traditional style of the White Moon Family, except there were more lilies weaved into it on either side, which held a translucent veil over her beautiful face. Inuyasha's heart pounded in his chest as she approached and he instinctually lifted her veil to see her beautiful face, flushed with happiness as tears threatened to spill. Inuyasha knew... this was their wedding...

The colors swirled again and Inuyasha found himself in an unfamiliar bedroom with a king-sized, canopy bed in the center. He was bare as the day he was born and held in his arms an equally as bare Usagi. They were both panting and sweat-soaked, bangs plastered against foreheads and legs interlocked under the covers. A light blush still remained on Usagi's cheeks as Inuyasha leaned down and claimed her lips with his own in a gentle, passionate kiss. He drew the tiny woman tighter to his chest and ran his clawed hands over her bare back and worked his way across her sides and down her hips.

He felt a low moan escape her as her body shuddered at his touch, goose bumps bursting out of her silky smooth skin. He let his low, aroused growl mingle with the vibrations of her moan as he ground his hips against hers.

The colors seeped together again and swirled around them and Usagi disappeared from his arms. He found himself standing outside in the courtyard in front of the Moon Palace where the bodies of four women were strewn in broken heaps, blood soaking much of their gowns. He was standing in a fighting stance and glanced back to see a hugely pregnant Usagi on her knees behind him with tears streaming down her cheeks. Before them was a woman in a royal violet gown with a glaze-eyed Endymion kissing the back of her hand. Standing in front of the pair protectively were the four men who had stood across from Usagi's friends at their wedding.

"Kill the little princess and her tainted brat." The regal woman with long, red hair commanded as she looked down at Endymion. His eyes seemed glazed as he looked up at the woman with a fawning expression on his face.

"Hai, Beryl-sama." He responded as he rose to his feet and took his place between the four men, all of whom had steel bared in their hands.

"It's time for you to leave this world, unclean bastard child of a hanyou." Endymion said coldly as he lunged at the silver-haired young man with his sword drawn.

Inuyasha dodged the attack and a moment later felt a sharp pain in his side as the bared blade of one of Endymion's Generals bit into his flesh. The shirt of his fire rat robe was draped over the shoulder of his pregnant mate behind him. Inuyasha twisted and dodged as the five men came at him simultaneously from all sides. He struck out with his claws but was unable to dodge every attack and was soon covered in cuts and scratches, some of them quite severe. His blood ran cold as a familiar scent caught his nose and he turned to see Usagi standing right behind him with her arms outstretched. A low growl escapes his throat as he saw blood spreading from around a gleaming sword that protruded from her chest. A small trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks in an unending river of salty fluid.

"Inu... yasha..." She whispered as Endymion yanked the sword viciously from her back. Her knees gave way and Inuyasha caught her before she hit the ground, falling to his knees with her in his arms. He felt tears stinging his eyes as the scent of her blood permeated the air. Too much blood... He tried to stem the flow but no matter what he did, it continued to flow, soaking into his white shirt and dripping down the fabric.

"Usagi... chan..." He whimpered as he held her unresponsive body against his chest and let the tears flow. A deep rage erupted from his chest and ran outward. He laid her motionless body on the ground and slowly stood, his outward appearance had changed. His eyes were blood red while the irises had turned electric blue. His claws had lengthened and curved down into deadly points. His teeth had also grown in length and sharpened to deadly points while jagged, purple marks streaked across his cheeks. A low growl rumbled in his chest as a rage he had never felt filled his entire being. He lashes out with claws, catching two of the charging Generals with a quick swipe. One fell to his knees holding his throat as blood spurt out from behind his hands, while the other gripped his stomach trying to hold his insides in.

Inuyasha's attention shifted and he made quick work of the other two Generals, severing limbs and hitting arteries. They were no match for his speed, agility, and cruelty. His focus shifted to Endymion, who still held his sword dripping Usagi's blood onto the shiny, white tiles. An animalistic howl erupted from Inuyasha's throat as he lunged at the murderer of his mate and unborn child. His first chance for true happiness stolen away by a jealous man who couldn't stand that a commoner with no Lunarian blood would someday rule alongside Selenity as King of the Moon Kingdom. None of that mattered to Inuyasha, though. His family had been ruthlessly stolen away.

Endymion put up a much stronger fight than his Generals and soon added to Inuyasha's wounds tenfold, several of them would be fatal with the passing minutes. He didn't go unscathed, though. Inuyasha gave him just as many wounds in his grief-stricken rage and Endymion was soon on his knees panting as blood flowed freely from countless wounds on his body. Inuyasha took the opportunity as his vision clouded to strike one last time. He struck with no mercy and sent his whole clawed hand through Endymion's chest and out his back. The earth Prince's eyes were glazed with death before he hit the ground.

The immense rage that had driven Inuyasha into a frenzy disappeared as Endymion's blood pooled around his body. Inuyasha rose shakily to his feet and walked over to Usagi's body, picking her up and cradling her in his arms. His eyes slid shut as he placed his lips against her cold ones and he fell to the side, his life's blood spilling out at as death took him as well. Serenity watched the carnage in horror as Inuyasha slumped to the ground dead holding the body of her daughter and grandchild as tears streamed down her face.

"This is the only way..." She murmured as she fixed a glittering, silver jewel to the top of a pink wand with a golden crescent moon topping it. "I will take your places and give you a chance to live peacefully." She whispered to the two battered felines beside her. Beryl was in a rage at the death of the earth Prince as she clung to his bloody form. She screamed her rage into the sky but Serenity took no note of it.

"You will all be reborn into a time where you will be at peace and happy." Serenity said as she raised the wand above her head. A blinding silver light lit the area and when it faded, Serenity slumped against a pillar, dead. Above her floated bubbles containing a multitude of people that moved slowly upward, including Beryl and Endymion. Two bubbles stuck close together and headed toward earth while all the rest disappeared, not to be seen for a thousand years. The wand spun around a few times and disappeared in a puff of silver light and pink smoke.

The colors melted one more time and Usagi and Inuyasha found themselves lying among the ruins in each other's arms. They roused slowly, the visions of memories still vivid in their minds. They both sat up and looked at each other with red cheeks before quickly looking away.

"You see, Selenity." Serenity said with a sad smile at her reborn daughter. "You are my daughter and Princess of the Moon Kingdom." Usagi let out a long breath and shakily climbed to her feet, followed shortly by Inuyasha.

"I fear my time grows short, daughter." Serenity said sadly as she placed a gentle kiss on Usagi's forehead. "The barrier around the city will be maintained by the planetary power of the moon until you see fit to remove it." Serenity explained as she pressed a finger against the crescent moon on Usagi's forehead once more. In a flash of light, Usagi and Inuyasha disappeared and reappeared unconscious on the roof of the building. The antique channeling the energy to maintain the barrier floated high above the tallest building and a glowing dome arched down from it, forming a bubble of light above the entirety of the city of Tokyo.

**::FIN::**

**June 17, 2001**

Well that's it for Chapter 17! I'm planning on writing a lemon for the 'Honeymoon' scene, didn't want to get too graphic since this is rated Teen. I'll post it separately under an 'M' rating for those who are interested in some Inuyasha/Usagi lemonage! And now for… review replies!

**Umiki**: I was a little bit stuck on the last chapter so I kind of just followed my instincts. I knew I needed to build the characters a bit and give them some depth. I'll be delving into some other characters in later chapters. I DO need to get the plot moving, though!

**Yami Nocturna**: Lol, I know it's a been a minutes since I did any writing! I was so caught up in life that I just completely forgot about it for like… umm… 6 years? 5 years? Something like that XD Anyway, I'm also writing a Inuyasha/Kagome story called 'Kurayami no Naka de Hikari' that seems to have been getting quite a bit of attention if you're into the series~.^ Kagome is one of the few 'female' heroines that I actually like (her and Usagi, anyway). Also, I love the idea of youkai being in the modern era but not like 'assimilated' into society like you see in A LOT of Inuyasha non-crosses.

**CalcBoy91**: It take a bit, but yeah, she becomes Sailor Moon. I started bringing more of the Sailor Moon universe into later chapters. The Inuyasha universe is the concentration through the beginning since they kind of 'took over' within a matter of days so chaos reined while the Senshi tried to catch up.

**midlight bunny**: With the bad blood between Usagi and the Senshi, I'm not too sure how it's going to meld together myself! I didn't want her to immediately befriend them like in the series since she'd gone through something so traumatic. There was a 'little' fluff in this one, but you can get some really good, juicy stuff when I write the lemon~.^


	19. Chapter 18 Wedding Night Notation

**Uragirimono**

**Chapter 18 – Wedding Night** has been posted as a new story because I didn't want to up the rating on the whole story because I doubt it's going to get so dark that I'll need to. If it does, I'll give PLENTY of warning though (and then I might just move the lemon into the story at that point). Anyway, to those who are interested, visit my profile and you'll see a story titled: Uragirimono Wedding Night. That is a lemon so those who aren't into it, just stick around for **Chapter 19** since the lemon is NOT essential to advance the storyline.

I will respond to reviews at the end of **Chapter 19**, I hope you're all enjoying! I see a few of my old reviewers are coming out of retirement to continue reading. Sorry I kept you waiting so long! Real life took over for quite a while.

**::FIN::**

**June 20, 2011**


	20. Chapter 19 Departure and Farewell

**Uragirimono**

**Note**: 10 pages/6,039 words – Okay, so finally another chapter. Sorry not much has happened in the last few chapters. I was building the story a bit and it kind of lagged for a bit. The pace is probably going to pick up a lot more with the next chapter. I'm not sure yet, but Sesshoumaru and Rin may make another appearance in the next one! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I (of course) don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon or the characters therein. Please do not steal my plot-line, it'll make reading my story boring to everyone else!

Thoughts are _'italicized'__  
_Dream Sequences are _italicized_(thoughts in dreams aren't)  
- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc…

**Chapter 19 - Departure and Farewell**

It had been a full day already and Usagi still hadn't woken up. Inuyasha had remained next to her sleeping form like a sentinel the entire time and had only eaten when Kagome's mother brought food up.

He thought he had an understanding of the strange memories, but they didn't explain the strange visions he'd had of Usagi or Selenity, whatever her name was, with him dressed as a miko. She had also looked a bit older in those visions, closer to his age of 18. She hadn't been as easy to smile in his visions either, whereas in the memories unlocked on the moon she had almost never been without a smile. It was as if there was a great burden on her shoulders in his visions. He didn't know what to make of them... were they more memories? Or some sort of strange vision that delved into his inner desire that had so recently awakened?

That couldn't be it, though... He hadn't felt anything for her besides impatient before then. She and the other human needed to find the shards of the Shikon no Tama before Naraku and Kikyo. Maybe he'd felt a little connected with her before the moon, but that was because she was an orphan by violence too. He certainly hadn't liked her or loved her before their strange encounter on an alien world. Wait a minute... love? Certainly not! She was just a weak human! Well... except she wasn't weak... and she wasn't exactly human either, was she?

Inuyasha pushed the thought from his head and resumed his silent guard of the young blond human. That little kid, what was his name, Souta? Inuyasha didn't really care what the brat's name was, but the shrimp glared daggers that made Inuyasha want to jam his face harshly into the ground. Inuyasha could smell distrust and affection from the boy from the kid. Apparently, the little brat didn't like him around Usagi, not that Inuyasha cared. He would protect Usagi no matter what, that kid seemed to think he was going to kill her in her sleep. If had taken the kid's mother to get him to leave the room.

All of the people involved in making the barrier had been exhausted from the pull on their spiritual powers, but only Usagi remained unconscious. He had a feeling it had to do with the weird ghost they'd met and that power from the moon fueled the barrier to keep it intact. Everyone who was in fighting form was out clearing the streets of Tokyo from the weak youkai who had been inside of the barrier when it was created. Thankfully, they were all small-fries so even the humans weren't having problems clearing them out. That also meant that they hadn't found any more Shikon shards so they would have to leave the barrier to collect them.

Ever since the barrier had gone up, humans had been flocking to the city to take refuge from the rampaging youkai that were quickly spreading across the country. The human _'warriors'_ with their metals weapons that tore holes with small balls of metal were also scoring the countryside and helping those humans who were stranded to safety. There was no shortage of casualties according to that weird flickering box that he could hear from the downstairs family room. They were counting deaths in the thousands now all across the country. It also seemed several towns had a priest or priestess with enough power to create barriers, but none of them compared to the one encasing Tokyo. It encompassed the whole city and youkai seemed reluctant to approach for fear of being purified or maybe because the powers extended outward from it so for nearly a mile around the barrier, no youkai approached.

It didn't matter that a full mile surrounding the barrier was safe; the city was bulging at the seams with all the refugees being brought in. Most of the sports stadiums and many of the government buildings and schools were being used to house them. There were also tent cities in all of the parks where the people stuck close together for protection against the few remaining hostile youkai inside. The mile directly inside the barrier didn't seem to have the same gradient of power as the outsides so some youkai purified them trying to force their way out. They had no way of knowing that the purity radiated outward for a mile in all directions.

The angry miko from the Hikawa Shrine kept trying to chase Inuyasha out of Usagi's room claiming she was enough to protect the blond girl. He had to physically remove her from the room once when he voice rose in anger and Usagi began to cringe and fidget in her sleep. She had tried several times since to bully him away from her _'princess_', sometimes accompanied by those sailor girls, but the threat that Inuyasha would physically remove her from the room again kept a small level of civility to her character. Not that Inuyasha cared about being civil, he had no problem being rude and didn't give a damn what anyone thought of him.

His ears twitched toward the girl as the sound of rustling fabric started again. There were times in the last few days that she had thrashed in her sleep as if trapped in nightmares where Inuyasha was on edge. She would calm down after several minutes, though, sometimes muttering names he didn't recognize. The one he heard most often was _'Shingo'_, though who that was beyond Inuyasha.

Most of the times when that name came out it was close to her calling for her parents so he had an idea that _'Shingo'_ had been her brother and not an old boyfriend. Inuyasha blushed at the thought, what did he care if she had an old boyfriend? He huffed in irritation at the thought; it had nothing to do with him! He was only here to get her to find the jewel shards, and then he'd get rid of her!

For some reason, that thought brought him no comfort as his thoughts strayed. _'I want to feel her hair again...'_ He thought idly as he moved closer to the bed and made to cup her face. He caught himself and growled low in his throat. This weakling wouldn't win! He forced his hand away and leaned against the bed with his back to her, glaring across the room toward the door in annoyance.

He heard a soft exhale of breath and deft fingers rubbed his right ear gentle, drawing a content growl from the back of his throat. He leaned his head into the petite hand to give her better access and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. He heard a soft giggle close to his ear and his eyes opened back up while he reached up and gently caught the hand, stilling the motion as an unpleased growl sounded. He refused to let himself enjoy what this girl did to him! Even if it did feel good! _'Damnit, stop thinking like that, baka!'_ Inuyasha roared at the subconscious voice.

"Good morning, Inuyasha." He heard the blond girl say as he released her hand so she could sit up.

"Keh! It's practically dinner, baka." He said with his arms crossed over his chest still not looking at her. "You've been sleeping for four days, onna."

"Eh?" She cried in surprise. "Four days? What about everyone else? Are they safe? Did it work? I'm going to be so behind with school!"

"You're noisy..." Inuyasha grumbled as he covered his ears and glared at the door. "All your pathetic friends are fine. The barrier worked and all of these _'skool'_ things are closed." He explained so he could get her shrill voice out of his ears.

"Really? I'm glad." She said as she let out a relieved sigh. He felt her deposition herself on the bed and glanced to the left as she slid down to the floor and sat next to him. He noticed a slight pink color staining her cheeks and instinctually raised his hand and pressed it to her forehead like his mother used to do. At the same time, he put his other hand to his to see if she felt warm. Flushed cheeks could be a sign of fever. If anything, the pink stain deepened even though she felt no warmer than he did.

"No fever..." He said quietly with a perplexed look.

"Thank you, Inuyasha." Usagi said as she hugged her knees and smiled at him. "You're a good person."

"Keh! Shuttup _'human'_." Inuyasha sneered as he spoke indignantly. "You don't know what you're talking about. You're just a shard detector, you and that other human."

"Hai hai, Inuyasha." She said dismissively as she rose to her feet. "Let's go eat, I'm starving!" As if to offer proof, a loud groan came from Usagi's stomach and she laughed sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. She stood up and after one step felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm her senses. She watched in slow motion as she felt toward the floor, but instead of landing on the carpet, she landed on something warm and soft.

"You're a klutz." Inuyasha's voice breathed into her and Usagi looked up with her cheeks stained crimson in embarrassment. She was lying on top of Inuyasha with his arms wrapped casually around her waist. She did notice, however, the faint pink to his cheeks he tried to play off. "Haven't you learned how to walk yet?"

"So mean..." Usagi said as tears began to fill her ocean blue orbs. The scent of salt pricked Inuyasha's nose and he stiffened, his ears lying back against his head.

"Stop crying, baka!" He cried defensively as he raised a clawed hand to wipe the moisture from her eye before it fell. "I didn't mean it, Usagi..." He mumbled barely loud enough for Usagi to hear.

"Arigato, Inuyasha." Usagi said just as quietly. She still lay on top of him, their faces merely inches apart with his clawed hand cupping her cheek.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat and lifted his head from the floor, drawing her face toward his at the same time. Usagi's eyes slid closed instinctively and just as she felt his lips brush against hers, the door slammed open, startling the couple on the floor. Usagi felt her lifted and pulled roughly against a solid wall of muscle, Inuyasha's arms wrapped protectively around her waist. She could hear a warning growl in the back of his throat as she was pressed into the soft fabric of his haori.

"I suppose we can come back later." Miroku's amused voice sounded from the doorway. "You two looked rather busy." Usagi peeked over her shoulder and blushed at the suggestive smile on the monk's face.

"Wh- What are you talking about?" Inuyasha demanded as his face turned crimson as well and the two jumped apart and refused to look at each other. Usagi noticed that the hanyou had somehow managed to draw Tetsusaiga in the confusing moment. He reluctantly sheathed the sword with a flash of gold and a soft click as it locked into the sheath.

Inuyasha and Usagi rose to their feet with as much dignity as they could muster, in this case it wasn't much, and followed the grinning monk from the room. They were still both pointedly ignoring the gaze of the other. Usagi was watching the floor, gripping her elbow with her hand, her cheeks still stained red. Inuyasha was pretending to examine the family photos that lined the walls. It seemed Usagi was in most of them, except the ones that had young children in them. He did notice a few photos of a young blond girl, a baby with brown hair and a young couple behind them. The woman had long, wavy blue hair while the man had dark hair and glasses. They must have been Usagi's family; the little girl wore her hair in the same ridiculous style as Usagi. He also noticed that Usagi wore her hair in different styles in all the photos with the Higurashi's; apparently it was a painful reminder of her family. When he had first met her, she hadn't worn her hair in such a goofy style, nor did she in the strange visions he'd had before going to the moon. He still didn't understand the significance of those strange visions...

"I hope Higurashi mama cooked." Usagi said as the three walked down the stairs. "I'm starving!" Miroku laughed quietly. It was a well-known fact the petit girl could pack it away! And so she WOULD be starved after having slept for four days!

"Of course, Usagi-sama." Miroku said as he glanced back at the young miko with a twinkle in his eye. "Higurashi-san has been cooking up a storm all week with all the guests."

The three walked into the kitchen and Usagi plopped down at the table. Sango was at the stove, helping Mrs. Higurashi by stirring a rather large pot sitting on the burner. She looked a bit uncomfortable as sauce seemed to be bubbling over the top rim of the pot.

"Umm... Higurashi-san..." Sango said nervously as she took a step back from the pot, wooden spoon still in hand. It was apparent the girl wasn't used to cooking. An extremely tall girl with her brown hair tied in a high ponytail came and gently took the spoon from Sango's hand and headed to take care of the pot.

"All you need to do is turn the heat to low and stir it occasionally now while it simmers, Sango-san." The girl explained as she motioned for Sango to come back up to the stove. The kitchen was bustling full of people, mostly women and girls her own age, but it appeared Kagome had put Kouga to work as well. He looked highly harassed and appeared to be wearing a pink apron with lace running down the sides.

"Mou Kagome... do I really have to wear this stupid this?" The wolf demon growled in annoyance as he plucked at the material.

"Baka, you have to wear an apron if you insist on getting under our feet while we cook." Kagome said as her eye twitched slightly. It appeared the wolf hadn't left her side for days or else she wouldn't have been so annoyed. Usagi knew the signs well, their classmate Hojo was the only one that could get under Kagome's skin like that with his persistent pursuit of Kagome. Usagi remembered how thankful Kagome had been when Hojo chose a different school than her. Kagome had specifically told the tousle-haired boy she was going to a fifteen school so she could get away from his. He wasn't a bad guy, just a bit clueless when it came to rejection and a bit of a health nut.

Usagi noticed Hino Rei on the other side of the room with a girl that had short blue hair, both covered in flower and mixing large bowls with wooden spoons. Usagi noted the dull hum that came in through the open door as of hundreds of people milling around outside. Curious, she walked to the door and peeked out. Her mouth dropped open in shock as there were INDEED hundreds of people milling around the background. Grandpa, Souta, and the two wolf demons were weaving in and out of people, ladling soup into bowls or passing out bread to the hungry crowd. The brown wolves wove in and out of the people as well with pieces of cloth with a large pocket on either side draped across their backs. The pockets were filled with a mixture of chopsticks, silverware, and napkins that people were nervously taking to eat their food.

Usagi noticed that the refugees weren't limited to just humans, there were several youkai families thrown into the mix, many with young children clinging to parent's legs or hiding behind long kimonos. Most of these were weak youkai; Usagi noticed several kitsune and tanuki families huddled close together somewhat separate from the human families. Many human mothers clutched their young children close to them as if the youkai about were going to attack.

"There's so many..." Usagi said sadly as her eyes scanned across the yard. She jumped in surprise when she felt someone close to her and spun around to find Inuyasha standing right behind her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"More come every day. The human rulers have been rationing out food and shrines all around are passing it out to refugees." Inuyasha said solemnly as he scanned the crowds. "Not all youkai want this war, there are plenty who are decent enough folk that just want to protect their families."

"How are they getting through the barrier?" Usagi asked as she looked sadly out at all the people who had fled their homes.

"They have been coming in with priests or priestesses that can create barriers and walk right through it." Inuyasha explained and Usagi nodded. "The humans decided early on that if youkai proved they were no threat, they would not be harmed. There were just too many youkai inside the barrier to kill them all."

Usagi's eyes grew sad as she watched the people mill around aimlessly. They all looked so lost; few had much in the way of belongings. What little they had consisted of a few scraps of clothing and maybe a blanket if they were lucky. There were people helping warm water for the refugees to wash with in large kettles over fires in the yard. It made Usagi's heart break to see such despair; these people had lost everything they owned. All they had was their families, but it seemed enough. As lost as they looked, they didn't look like they were giving up at all.

"We need to get rid of Naraku." Usagi said as her eyes narrowed in determination. "He's caused too much pain."

- l - l - l -

It had been two days since Usagi had woken from her near-coma after putting up the barrier. In those days, they had been preparing packs filled with food, medical supplies, and anything needed for a long journey. Most of the school were back in session at this point and filled to the brink with refugee students from the countryside. The good thing there was that there was no lack of teachers available; space seemed to be an issue, though. Many teachers were in tent set up on the sports fields of the schools and in empty office buildings. Usagi and Kagome had no intention of going back to school, though. They and their friends were going into the countryside to collect the shards of the Shikon no Tama. The longer they were out there, the more people who would suffer.

Usagi had decided two days prior that it was the best thing to do. Everyone had been thinking the same thing so it only took a few days to prepare. They were planning to leave within the hour, Shippo had insisted on coming so he could find a pair of brothers who had killed his parents weeks before. Rather than deny him from coming and chance him sneaking off on his own, Usagi and Kagome had said they would protect the young kit.

Usagi strapped her large book bag closed after having checked the contents over for a fourth time to make sure she had everything she needed. She had decided to wear her school uniform since the miko robes were bulky and only added to her klutz attacks. All she needed was to shoot a comrade with an arrow that had gotten caught on her over-large sleeve. So the best solution was to not put herself in that situation. She did fasten the fancy brooch Luna had given her to the front of her uniform in the middle of the bow, however.

Luna had come to her room the previous night insisting she be allowed to join her charge and Usagi had to protect her from Inuyasha. The dog hanyou seemed to take Luna's attempts to aid protection from the Senshi as a personal insult. His annoyance wasn't that she was a feline, just that she denied his ability to protect Usagi. She knew this because she had seen the hanyou playing with Kagome's overweight cat, Buyo the previous night. Usagi had been forced to _'sit'_ him when he wouldn't leave the poor animal alone. Buyo had walked away swishing his tail and looking insulted.

"You ready, Usagi-chan?" Kagome's voice sounded over the noise of people shouting below.

"Yeah, I think so." Usagi said sheepishly as she tied the top of the bag. Kagome had plopped a large, yellow bag on the pink comforter next to Usagi's. "We should go through each other's bags to make sure we didn't forget anything." She suggested thoughtfully. Usagi hadn't been camping much as a child so she wasn't confident on what to bring.

"Good idea!" Kagome said as they switched sides and began to rummage through each other's bags.

"So, how are things with Kouga-san?" Usagi asked slyly as she looked at Kagome from the corner of her eye. They hadn't had much time to talk in the last week with everything that had happened. She noticed a pink hue touching Kagome's cheeks and a shy smile appeared on her lips.

"Things are good. At least, now that he knows I'm independent and won't be pushed or forced into anything." Kagome explained matter-of-factly. "Of course there hasn't been much time to get to know each other because of the refugees." Usagi nodded her head in understanding as she finished checking Kagome's bag.

"I didn't see any deodorant in here." Usagi said as she lashed the bag closed. An embarrassed look crossed Kagome's face and she rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh yeah!" Kagome said as she headed for the door. "I'll grab your toothbrush while I'm in there!"

"Of course!" Usagi said as she slapped her forehead. She knew she'd forgotten something she'd regret leaving behind.

- l - l - l -

"We'll be back as soon as we can!" Kagome called up the stairs as she waved up to her mom, grandpa, and brother. "It'll probably be at least a few weeks!"

The group was gathered at the bottom of the steps to the Higurashi Shrine. They made quite a sight, the group of them. Two school girls with packs, bows and arrows; a monk in full robes carrying a staff; a taijiya with a giant boomerang strapped to her back and a two-tailed youkai cat on her shoulder; three wolf youkai accompanied by a small handful of brown wolves; a tiny little kitsune with a bushy tail; and Inuyasha in bright red with a battered katana at his side. Most of the refugees were aware of the significance of the departure, though they didn't know their goal, so they stood watching the group walk down the street.

Two blocks over, they were stopped by a group of four teenaged girls with two cats with them. Hino Rei motioned for Usagi to come to them and with a sigh of annoyance, she stepped forward. Inuyasha instinctively followed, eyes narrowed on the group and ears twitching at every sound. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were narrowed on the raven-haired miko.

"This is too dangerous. We need to be there to protect you." Rei said immediately as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Let all of them go get this jewel thing." Usagi sighed in exasperation.

Rei had popped into the Higurashi household whenever she was able to get away from the Hikawa Shrine the last two days, and had soundly lectured her on her place as their leader. Usagi no longer doubted what was said since she and Inuyasha had taken a trip to the moon, but she also knew where she was needed at that time.

"I can't, Hino-san. With two people able to sense them, it's necessary that I go." Usagi picked up the same argument that had been left off the day before.

"At least let us go with you for protection!" The tall pony-tailed girl named Makoto Kino argued. "That is our purpose!"

"It's too dangerous. I saw how your powers had no effect on Sesshoumaru." Usagi brought up the same point from the previous day. Usagi noticed Inuyasha stiffen at the mention of his older, half-brother.

"What if more people are attacked in the city by Sailor Iron Mouse?" Ami Mizuno questioned, her blue eyes close to pleading. "You're the only one that can heal them!" Usagi hadn't told anyone that she was Sailor Moon so when she glanced over her shoulder; she noticed the perplexed looks of her friends. No doubt they were trying to find out why these four girls had attached themselves to Usagi.

"You're going to have to think of something, then. What did you do before you found me?" Usagi asked as she turned back to the group of girls.

"We never came across anything like these people before. They won't return to normal until you do something." Minako Aino said seriously. "You really need to stay here." Usagi sighed in defeat and nodded her ascent.

"Fine... I suppose I have no choice." Usagi grumbled as her shoulders slumped.

"What the hell are you talking about, human?" Inuyasha snapped as he glared down at the blond at his side. "You have to help find the jewel shards!"

"Sorry, Inuyasha. They're right, though." Usagi said as she turned to meet the golden eyes of the tall hanyou. "If that Iron Mouse girl attacks again, whoever she goes after will be helpless. Go with them and look after Kagome, would you?"

"Keh! I'm not letting you or the jewel shards out of my sight, baka!" Inuyasha growled as he pointed to the necklace tucked beneath Usagi's shirt. Kagome had insisted that Usagi hold onto them since they'd gone from a pale pink to a milky white at Usagi's touch. They hung in a small glass vial around her neck, tucked into the collar to hide them from view.

"I'm staying here, Inuyasha." Usagi said firmly as she made her way back to her friends. She explained to them that someone needed to stay behind in case a demon showed up who had been in hiding, or if the miko, Kikyo, showed up in the city while they were gone. She wasn't ready to reveal that she was Sailor Moon, even though Kouga and Inuyasha already knew.

"Ne, Shippo-chan?" Usagi said lightly as she looked down at the young kitsune. "I could use a strong youkai for protection. Would you be interested?" Shippo crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a suspicious look.

"Is this some kind of human trick?" He asked suspiciously. "Because I don't like being tricked."

"Not at all, Shippo-chan, I just think you're needed here more so I have a warrior to protect me." Usagi explained seriously. The young kit swelled with pride and nodded his head before jumping up onto Usagi's shoulder.

"A hanyou isn't enough to keep you safe, Usagi!" Shippo declared as he puffed out his chest in pride. "You need a real youkai for protection!"

"What the hell did you say, runt?" Inuyasha demanded as he plucked the kit off of Usagi's shoulder by the tail. Shippo cried out as large crocodile tears filled his eyes.

"Don't hold him like that!" Usagi cried as she grabbed the kit and pulled him protectively to her chest. "Inuyasha, osuwari!" This was followed by a familiar crash as Inuyasha slammed into the ground.

- l - l - l -

Several hours later found Usagi, Inuyasha, and Shippo seated at a low table in the Hikawa Shrine. There were plenty of volunteers at a shrine of its size so the five girls and two youkai were left in peace to discuss the strange Sailor Senshi they seemed to be facing. The four girls were completely stumped and somewhat disparate in mood. Sure they'd finally found the princess they'd sworn to protect, but they were no further on unraveling the secrets of their enemies.

"Aren't you stupid girls done talking yet?" Inuyasha growled from the low branches of the tree outside the sliding shoji door. "This is stupid." Usagi just sighed. She wasn't very thrilled to be left behind either, but she didn't have much choice in the matter. There was more than one force at work here.

Usagi felt like she had grown ten years in the last week. She had just been a normal girl, concerned with boys and getting her grades up, and now she was fighting youkai and being chased by people that wanted to kill her! She didn't want all of this responsibility! She adored her new friends; the four girls around her were surprisingly included in that thought. She understood Rei's incredulity and outrage at finding out Usagi was her princess; she knew she was immature and a crybaby and extremely rash, but something had changed overnight.

"We'll be done when we're done, Inuyasha." Usagi said in exasperation. He'd been asking her when they'd be leaving every three minutes for the last hour! The girls had taken to Shippo in an instant and he sat contentedly beside her with a coloring book and a lollypop hanging out of his mouth. He had also gotten first pick of Makoto-san's fresh cookies.

"I suppose there isn't much we can do right now." Rei said as she let out a sigh. They really hadn't gotten anywhere in their first Senshi meeting. The enemy was too new for them to begin to find any strategy to defeat them and the sun was starting to sink.

"Let's go home, Shippo-chan." Usagi said as she stood up. The young kit jumped into her arms and they headed outside, collecting Inuyasha on the way.

"We should know more when Haruka and Michiru come back from Europe." Minako explained as the four high school girls walked Usagi and her male friends out.

"Who are they?" Usagi asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"They're Uranus and Neptune. Two of the Senshi of the Outer Solar System." Ami explained matter-of-factly. It had definitely been a shock to discover that Ami Mizuno was a Sailor Senshi! Who would have thought that the smartest girl in the whole city would turn out to be a warrior? Then again, not many people would believe that Usagi was a Sailor Senshi either, even if she'd only been one for about a week. "We contacted them as soon as this started; we have no ETA on their arrival yet, though."

"Are they studying abroad?" Usagi asked idly as they all walked toward the stairs to the shrine.

"You could say that. Haruka and Michiru are pretty well-known so they go abroad periodically." Ami said with a pleasant smile. "We'll meet up after school then. We have a study group at Rei's during the week." Usagi nodded in understanding as she and Inuyasha headed down the long flight of stairs to the street.

The human girl, youkai, and hanyou walked down the sidewalk in silence. Shippo had fallen asleep in Usagi's arms and Inuyasha walked a few feet behind with his arms crossed over his chest, regarding the strange woman from behind.

He caught a distinct difference in her scent that marked her different from the humans. The four girls with her also had that same difference in scent. They really weren't human at all! He was amazed that he hadn't noticed it sooner! Now he knew why Sesshoumaru had been so perplexed by the girl. He felt his ears lay back against his head as he spotted the small scar at the base of her neck.

The thought of Sesshoumaru marking Usagi to be his mate sparked anger deep within that burned with white-hot fury. He would NOT let Sesshoumaru take what was HIS! Inuyasha started at the thought and his eyes narrowed. _'When did I start thinking of her as mine?'_ Inuyasha asked himself in genuine confusion. He couldn't remember how things had changed and become so confusing and complicated.

- l - l - l -

"Has Inuyasha been located?" A deep feminine voice asked the figure kneeling before her. Kikyo sat in the hard, stone chair with her elbow on the armrest and her chin resting on her hand. No emotion displayed on the features of the seated miko except exhaustion. Her fake body of bones and grave dirt was still frail, but it would last until she had the Shikon no Tama in her hand once again. The barrier that encompassed the city called Tokyo had gone up in a matter of minutes and every time she tried to draw near its edges, the souls of dead women that preserved her life were drawn out leaving her feeling weak and angry. The barrier definitely had a familiar feel to it; she knew at once that it was created by HER reincarnation.

"Yes, Kikyo-sama." Kagura said as she raised her head a fraction to look at the dead miko. "He is currently with the blond miko. He seems to be protecting her."

Kikyo's eyes narrowed in fury as a wave of jealousy rolled over her. The blond miko, Usagi was her name in this life, always took the things Kikyo wanted! She had stolen Kikyo's duty of purifying the Shikon no Tama and she had stolen Inuyasha away! Everyone always chose her over Kikyo for everything including games when they were children! Everyone had flocked to her smile and her laugh while only going to Kikyo if the blond was in a neighboring village. Kikyo had always been the stronger of the pair, but everyone chose HER!

Kagura fell forward onto the damp ground as a blistering pain ripped through her chest. She gripped the front of her kimono above where her heart should be as pain ripped through her body. She managed to glance up at Kikyo and saw her heart being clenched pitilessly in the miko's fist. There was a look of rage on Kikyo's face that Kagura had never seen before. It was unusual to see any emotion on her face, to be honest. She couldn't find her voice through the pain a merely curled into a ball on the ground, trying to will the pain away with her mind.

"Loosen your grip, Kikyo-sama. Unless you are prepared to throw away your tool." The deep voice of Naraku rumbled through the cave. Sweet relief! The pain in Kagura's chest disappeared and she sucked in glorious air as she managed to breathe again. She slowly picked herself off the ground and managed to get on her knees. All emotion had been wiped from her face as if the anger had never been.

"You will bring Inuyasha to me." Kikyo said coldly as she stared at the demon detachment void of any expression or life in her dark eyes.

"Forgive me, Kikyo-sama." Kagura said slowly a she bowed her head submissively. "How am I to penetrate the barrier of the city?"

"This will get you through the barrier." Kikyo said as she tossed a short golden staff with a serpent twined around it to the ground beside Kagura. "Kanna, you will subdue the hanyou. He is to be brought directly to me."

"Hai, Kikyo-sama." Kagura said before rising to her feet and making her unsteady way to the door. She felt as if her muscles had undergone heavy strain but there didn't seem to be any lasting damage. Kagura wondered to herself vaguely why the miko wanted a pathetic hanyou. It wasn't her place to question orders, though... yet... As soon as she found a way to get her heart... Kagura smiled to herself at the thought of freedom. The wind was supposed to be free; it didn't bend to the will of anyone. That would be the life...

**::FIN::**

**July 8, 2011**

**Notes**: Well that's it for this chapter! Sorry not too much has happened (again). More is going to happen in the next one, I promise! Below are review responses!

**Umiki**: Hehe, thanks for reading and reviewing!

**Infinite**: Actually I did for a long time^^; I watched Inuyasha Final Act and felt a STRONG urge to break back into this story! I enjoyed writing it so much when I started it and I'm still loving it. I have over 215pages to this story so far and it's kind of still in the beginning!

**CalcBoy91**: I mentioned the Outers in this one at your request~.^ They won't be making an actual appearance until later, though. I decided to keep the rating where it is and broke off the lemon to live separately. I don't think this will get dark to the point where I'd need to up the rating and the lemon doesn't build the story any so it's just an extra like on a DVD ~.^

**midlight bunny**: I loved writing the last chapter with the Moon 'memories'! It was a fun chapter, though I haven't delved too deeply into the 'past' that Inuyasha remembers. That will come a little later~.^

**Chicwa88**: Inuyasha and Usagi's flashbacks are of different times. Inuyasha saw the flashbacks from the moon, though. I haven't gone too deeply into the ones Inuyasha sees. That will build in later chapters. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I forgot how much I enjoyed writing this one!

**lunarprincess**: That seems to be the trend with most of the people that read my stories back in the day! None of them read/write anymore so I'm all lonely now! I seem to be getting a handful of readers again, though~.^

** .16**: Don't worry, I'll go more into depth into that storyline a little later. Usagi hasn't even really had any visions/memories from then, just yet. It was abandoned for quite a while, until I watched Inuyasha Final Act and it got my butt into gear to start writing again!

**pumpkinspice64**: I'm glad you like, I'm working as fast as I can to update. I have an ongoing family 'emergency' that I'm dealing with intermittently so I sometimes can't do much writing.


	21. Chapter 20 Chased Down

**Uragirimono**

**Notes**: 6,200 words / 10 pages – Okay sorry for the delay, I have a life outside of writing and for some reason, I seriously was stumped on what to do for a bit on this story -.- I also got seriously pulled into writing my Inuyasha non-crossover "Kurayami no Naka de Hikari". I had the next chapter of Always Late (SM/Harry Potter) half-way finished until some snatched my phone . I haven't felt motivated to go re-write it yet... Anyway, as I promised, Rin-chan finally makes an appearance in this chapter! Also, the end of this chapter gets pretty hot and heavy... LOTS of limeness, no lemon but definitely some heavy petting so sorry if anyone is offended (that's why I'm putting a warning up here).

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters thereof. Even though that is the case, please don't steal my plot, concept, or story out of respect for my creative endeavor as I would not do this to anyone out there.

- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc.  
'Thoughts/dreams' will be in single quotes (IE: ' ')

**Chapter****20**** – ****Chased** **Down**

Light dappled lazily across a porcelain face, illuminating small splashes of blood marring the otherwise perfect complexion of the sleeping man. He lay back against a tree with a large, fluffy boa wrapped loosely around his white haori. Long silver strands floated lightly in the breeze as bees buzzed around in the flowers growing haphazardly across the forest floor. A pair of large, brown eyes watched the sleeping man cautiously with a small bouquet of flowers clutched in a tiny fist.

The little girl was only about five years old and had been an orphan for some time. The other children would tease her because she had refused to speak ever since her parents had died the previous year. The people that ran the orphanage took her to specialists but she hadn't responded to them either. All she wanted was her mommy and daddy to come home, then she would tell them how much she loved them and missed them. She had been a good girl in the hopes that it would bring them back sooner, but they were still gone.

The mysterious stranger had appeared in a ball of light a few days prior, right before all of the scary monsters had shown up and the whole village was forced to hide behind something called a 'barrier' at the Shrine. She had snuck out, though. She felt separate from the other people of the town since she was left alone. They tolerated most of the other orphans, feeling sorry for them, but they believed there was something off with her and would chase or 'shoo' her away if she even glanced at anyone.

She had been on one of these little adventures when she'd seen the ball of light flying across the sky. She had followed it into the forest and discovered the strange man lying on the forest floor. She could tell he was injured and was cautious about moving closer. She had been bringing him food that she managed to smuggle out or forage on her own. He had been awake before and his golden gaze was intriguing to the child. She was also curious as to why his eyes had turned blood red the first time she had approached with her little offering.

This time in edition to the small bouquet of flowers, she had managed to sneak out some bandages and some antiseptic to wash the wounds with. She had also managed to sneak out some small amount of an organic ointment that the Houshi had made after the appearance of the monsters.

The young girl sat patiently concealed by the bushes as she waited for the regal-looking man to awaken. Something in her gut told her not to approach while he slumbered so she remained in her hiding place. As if in response to her thoughts, a pair of golden eyes opened and scanned the surrounding area. They stopped right on the girl's hiding place so, with a small smile on her lips, she picked up the small basket beside her and left the shelter of her hiding place.

She walked forward slowly and some distance away, got down on her knees and placed the basket of medical supplies and the small bouquet of flowers on the ground.

"I do not need you assistance, ningen." A deep, monotonous voice spoke as a pair of cold, golden eyes fell on the figure of a small human child who sat up from a respectful bow seated. His eyes widened very slightly when she looked up with a bright smile, revealing a missing front tooth and several bruises on her face.

Sesshoumaru had seen the strange human child several times in the past few days as he healed from the injuries the hanyou had inflicted upon him. He had told the child he did not need her help but she still returned every day with some sort of offering. He noticed, though, the the bruises and missing tooth must have occurred since she had come the previous day.

He looked away from the human, showing that he was unconcerned about her presence, but also that he was uninterested in her offering. It seemed ningen did not understand the subtleties to youkai dominance and territory or the girl would not have returned after the first day. He would give her nothing else that she was persistent and unafraid, but ningen didn't interest him in the slightest.

- l - l - l -

The little girl skipped through the forest, carefully picking her way back to the small Shrine in her town with a wide grin on her face. No one as perfect as the injured man could be evil, at least that's what she believed as she took a small game trail that headed down to the river.

She knew the forest very well having spent most of her time outside of school in the forest to escape the cruelty of the other children. She had decided she would catch some fish with a bandana the way her father had taught her when she was much younger. She had never been very good while he was alive, but that was one of the skills she had focused on after he was gone. Her father had been very conscious of the planet and had been very much into the outdoors and had tried to instill in her the ability to live off the land in case some great emergency came about where there was no grocery store or electricity. He had been very correct to teach her these skills because the electric lights had gone out days ago and there was too much fear among the people to really venture too far outside of the barrier.

They had all heard people screaming as something attacked them, l  
picking them off from the small, armed groups and dragging them to their deaths in the canopy of the forest. They had a small radio that they would turn on several times a day to see if the military was on their way. Food was running low and tempers were running high, which was another reason she had decided to slip out unnoticed.

She tied the two corners of the bandana together to form a sort of sling in between. Holding the bandana with two hands, one on either side, she waded in and dipped the fabric into the water, immersing it completely and then remaining still so the water could settle. She waited patiently for a fish to swim into her little trap and smiled broadly when a medium sized fish did just that. In one move, she pulled the bandana from the water, scooping the fish up with it. After she managed to free the fish, she tossed it on the bank far enough away so it couldn't flop back into the water. She reset herself and in and hour, she had five medium-sized fish lying up on the bank in a row.

The little girl collected her fish into another small wicker basket and trotted off through the woods back toward the 'perfect' stranger. As she traipsed through the darkening forest, she was oblivious to the silent footsteps padding around her. She was unaware of the dark shadows that darted along beside her hidden by underbrush, not the dark figures that trailed behind keeping low to the ground. She was only around halfway to the mysterious stranger when four large, brown, fury shapes darted out of the weeds in front of her, snarling viciously.

She couldn't hold back the terrified squeak that left her lips as she fell backward onto her butt, the basket falling to the side and spilling on the ground. She crawled backward on the ground, her brown eyes wide and filled with fear as the brown wolves began to slowly close in on her.

In a panic, the girl rose to her feet and began running in the opposite direction away from the snarling beasts, her heart in her throat as fear gripped her very soul. She felt teeth sink into her shoulder and she stumbled to the ground, feeling pain rip through her body as tears steamed down her dirty cheeks. She felt reality slipping as a hazy feeling set in, the intense pain from teeth and claws dimming as her grip on consciousness began to slip. This was it... she knew she would finally see mommy and daddy again, but couldn't help but feel regret that the stranger in the woods would no longer have anyone to take care of him. She saw a pair of golden eyes fill her mind as darkness closed in and she felt weightlessness take her.

- l - l - l -

"Ah mou!" Kagome whined as she held up her green school uniform skirt. It had only been two days since they had set out from Tokyo and they had already managed to collect three shards from unruly youkai who had been using the power to terrorize or murder humans.

Soon after they'd left the large barrier surrounding Tokyo, Miroku had hot-wired an SUV with four-wheel drive so they had covered quite a bit of road in a short amount of time. They had decided to head north first on a whim, well... more on the word of a certain wolf youkai Prince..

Apparently, Kouga had sent most of his clan back to the area in the north that was once their territory, though he admitted that he hadn't forbidden the wolves from attacking humans unless they were attacked first. They had been following rumors from the villages they passed of wolves ransacking towns and dragging people and livestock off with them into the forests. Kouga had a mission to put an end to his Clan's pillaging and the rest of the group decided north was as good of a direction as any and set out with him and his counterparts, the four-legged wolves either trailed behind or rode on the luggage racks on top of the SUV.

Kouga and his friends were intrigued by the vehicle, asking endless questions about what 'magic' made it work the way it did. Kouga insisted he'd be able to keep pace with it and even took the opportunity to prove it when he grew too annoying for Kagome to deal with anymore.

When he wasn't pestering her with endless questions, he was trying to get her to accept him as her mate. Her MATE? Kagome couldn't think of that word without blushing a brilliant red! She was, after all, barely sixteen and had just started High School! There was no way she was ready for that type of a responsibility yet! She found the wolf attractive and caring, if a bit old fashioned with his thoughts that a woman was supposed to take care of the pups and feed her mate with no thoughts

of bettering herself unless it was in some domestic sense. She had plans, though! Plans that involved education, college, and an amazing career. There was no way she was ready to settle down and start 'birthing pups' as Kouga referred to it.

Kagome scrubbed the green fabric of her skirt fervently against itself in the stream they had stopped nearby. They had found it easier to prepare for attack if they weren't in a building or structure of some kind. It was just too easy for the weaker youkai to get close to a house or building without them realizing it until the last moment. That was how her clothes had been horribly stained with sticky, green youkai blood.

A small, weak youkai had managed to sneak into the room the women were sleeping in by disguising his scent and suppressing his aura to nearly nothing. Kagome's shriek of fear is what alerted everyone to the intrusion when she woke up feeling a slimy hand down the front of her shirt reaching for the small bottle of shards that hung there. Kouga had burst into the room just as the thing darted for the window and slashed it in half directly above her uniform which had been hung up to dry after a hasty wash in a bucket of soapy water. Most of the houses and buildings had no electricity so they were forced to do everything the old fashioned way. As grateful as Kagome was to Kouga for stopping the shard theft, she couldn't help but be annoyed that he chose THAT spot to slice the little green spawn open!

"Mou... mama is going to be upset." Kagome whined as she tossed the ruined uniform onto the ground next to her. "She just replaced our uniforms a few days ago." Kagome had chosen to wear it rather than traditional priestess clothes because it was much easier to move in and much less likely to get snagged on her bow if she happened to panic.

Thankfully, her grandfather had found a smaller bow for her to take on her trip than the traditional bow as well. the traditional bow she had been learning on was nearly as tall as she was so was therefore more difficult to prepare to use at a moments notice. It also didn't require as much strength to draw so it was a bit easier on her physically. The downside was that it didn't have the same range as the longer bow, but if she was with Kouga, he could easily get her within range and protect her from attack long enough to get the job done.

"Do you have anything else to wear, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked as she tried her face off on a small hand towel before handing it to Kagome to dry her hands. Kagome was still wearing her tank top and matching PJ pants from the previous night.

"Yeah, but it's gotten so warm!" Kagome whined as she stood and headed for her large yellow backpack on the ground. She rummaged through and pulled out a long-sleeved turtleneck and a black pleated skirt. She had a pair of jeans as well since the weather had been cool when they'd left and even though they'd been going north, it had been getting warmer rather than cooler.

"Are you too ready to move yet?" Kouga's voice called in their direction as a miniature tornado approached them, tossing dust into the air and stinging both women's eyes.

"Damn i wish we still had that subjugation spell that Usagi-chan found." Kagome muttered as she rubbed her stinging eyes.

"Gomen, koibito!" Kouga exclaimed as he turned worried electric-blue eyes to look at Kagome's face. "Let me help." He said as he gently pulled her hands away from her face. He reached into the pelt at his waist and pulled out a soft piece of fabric and preceded to gently dab at her eyes, drying the tearing from the irritation.

Kagome blinked up at him silently, noticing the genuine look of concern in his eyes as he gently dabbed the dust from her cheeks. His brow was furrowed and he seemed completely absorbed in the task at hand. Kagome could keep the warmth from her cheeks as she looked up into his handsome features. His strong jaw, straight nose and amazingly blue eyes that seemed to pull her in. It made her forget that he wasn't human and that he had been seriously getting on her nerves. She felt a calloused finger run softly along her bottom lip and her eyes started to close. She rose onto her toes as a warm hand cupped her cheek and an arm encircled her waist, pulling her into a broad chest.

His lips were soft against hers and she sank into the gentle kiss, loving the feeling that she was falling that filled her stomach. If Kouga didn't have an arm around her waist, Kagome's knees would surely have buckled and she would have hit the ground. She felt his tongue trail over her lips and timidly opened her mouth, darting her tongue out shyly to meet his. He took her shy action as consent and responded back with his own tongue, running it along hers as he delved gently into her mouth.

The hand on her cheek moved to her back as he pulled her tight to his body, growling low in his throat as Kagome's hands clasped behind his head as she rose to her tiptoes. A shiver ran through Kagome as his rough tongue ran over hers and she felt herself drowning in the tall wolf youkai pressed against her. After several moments, they broke apart, both needing something called oxygen that they were lacking. Kouga pulled her to his chest and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, causing goose bumps to erupt on her skin from his warm breath on her exposed throat.

Kagome's eyes pop open and she shoves away from the firm chest, her eyes swiveling around everywhere at once. She completely misses the hurt that fills Kouga's eyes as she turns her gaze to the quickly darkening sky. High above, Kagome could distinctly see a glowing pink spec hidden by the clouds.

"There's a jewel shard headed this way!" Kagome shouts loudly as she points up into the sky above them. "Wait, TWO of them!"

Kouga looks up in the direction her finger is pointing and manages to grab her around the waist and jump to the side as a pair of razor sharp talons slice into the soil Kagome had been standing on moments before. Kouga cried out in pain as a claw pierces his left leg mid-calf.

"Kouga-kun!" Kagome cries as she spins in his arms to face him. She notes his grimace of pain and her eyebrows knit in worry.

"Don't worry, this wound is nothing." He tries to reassure her, but she remained unconvinced.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's voice rang out as an abnormally large boomerang went flying into the air into pursuit of the strange-look youkai. It had the form of a large bird with an over-large mouth full of razor sharp teeth, and sitting atop it's head was two humanoid figures that jutted out by the waist.

The strange bird managed to dodge Sango's boomerang as it put on a burst of speed and flew straight up through the clouds once again.

"Damnit!" Kouga growled as he watched the bird disappear into the cloud cover. "I hate birds of paradise!" He growled low in his throat as he stood up, scenting the air to find it's next impending attack. His leg bled profusely bit he completely ignored the pain as he stood protectively in front of Kagome watching every direction at once.

"You know what that thing is?" Kagome cried as she stood on shaking legs. Her bow was up at the camp and she wasn't about to leave Kouga's protection to make a run for it across open ground. Even with him being injured, she was less exposed sticking near him.

"These damn things are always trying to overtake our territory! I've never come across one with that strong of youki, though!" Kouga explained with a grimace as he put pressure on his injured leg.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku's voice called from up above, drawing the eyes of the wolf youkai and untrained miko.

"Miroku-sama!" Kagome called as a smile graced her lips. Flying above them and coming closer was Miroku on the back of Kirara holding his staff in one hand and Kagome's bow and arrows slung on his shoulder.

As Miroku released the weapon for Kouga to catch, a horribly shrill shriek rent the air, causing everyone to cover their ears to block out the horrid sound. Kagome screamed in fear as she felt claws digging into her arms and before she knew what was happening, her feet weren't on the ground and she felt an immense amount of wind in her face.

"Kagome!" Kouga cried as he saw a bird of paradise grasp Kagome by her upper arms and take off into the air. He jumped up to grab her ankle but felt the bite of claws in his shoulder as another youkai slashed at him. That's when he noticed the air was full of the monsters all trying to attack their small party. The humans and wolves were fighting for their lives, tearing through the massive birds like tissue.

"Kouga, grab on!" Miroku yelled as he dipped down low enough for the injured wolf to jump onto the fire cat to go after the captured Kagome.

"Let me go!" Kagome squawked as she wiggled her arms in the iron grip of the clawed feet holding her. She shrieked in shear terror as the youkai released her and she began plummeting hundreds of feet down toward the rocky ground.

When she was around ten feet from the ground, she felt a hand close around her wrist and began swinging her arms in a panic with her eyes squeezed tightly shut in terror. There was a surprised grunt and then a low growl as her fist connected with something smooth and warm.

"Itai!" A low voice growled and Kagome opened her eyes to see a large red mark planted on Kouga's cheek that her fist had just connected with.

"Eh?" Kagome squeaked as she stared wide-eyed at the annoyed looking wolf demon. She was sitting 'side-saddle' on Kirara with Kouga's hands on her hips holding her in place. "Gomen!" She cried as a flush filled her cheeks and she ran her fingers lightly over the tender area in a soothing way.

He leaned his cheek into her hand, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his face. Her face was flushed with embarrassment and her eyes were

filled with concern.

"No time. Here." He said as he shoved her bow and arrow into her hands. Kagome snapped back instantly and slung the arrows onto her back before grabbing one and knocking it. Miroku was flinging sutras around and cutting through any of the birds who came too close. She could see Hiraikotsu cutting through the air, taking off whole wings and cutting into bodies before it descended into the forest and out of sight.

"What are you waiting for?" Kouga cried as he managed to punch one in the head that was coming in to take Kagome's head off in one bite.

"H-hai!" Kagome cried as she pulled the string back to her cheek and aimed at one of the flying beasts. "Please hit!" She cried as she loosed the arrow. To her immense surprise, a pink light surrounded the arrow and tore through the bird next to the one she had been aiming for and burned a enormous hole through the center of the creature.

"Nice shot!" Kouga shouted proudly as he saw her cheeks turn pink.

More confident now, Kagome knocked and loosed arrows as fast as she could, surprised that every arrow seemed to hit a target, though not always the one she was aiming for. In surprisingly little time after that, the skies were suddenly clear of the flying creatures and Kirara was touching down back at the camp. While Sango, Miroku, and Kagome were unharmed, the same couldn't be said of the wolves. Kouga's leg wound had stopped bleeding already, but it was still clearly a very deep wound that would not likely heal over night. Hakkaku and Ginta had no major wounds, but each had an assortment of cuts and scratches from the surprise attack.

"Did you get the big one, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked as she jumped off the fire cat and headed toward her friend.

"No, I only saw that first attack." Sango explained as she wiped the remains of youkai blood from her weapon and secured it to her back.

"I don't sense the shards any more. I think it went north." Kagome said as she looked at the sky.

"Their nest is north." Kouga explained slowly and solemnly. "They're stronger than before. I need to go to the den and check on my pack."

- l - l - l -

Usagi sighed wearily as she flopped down on her bed and pulled a pillow over her face. It had been a very annoying day to say the least. Not only had classes resumed, but Inuyasha had followed her to school and popped up every time that she was somewhat alone to bug her about the stupid jewel shards she wore in a small vial around her neck.

Before the rest of the group had left the barrier, they had decided that they would bring all of the shards to Usagi when they found them because they would be more protected by the strong barrier surrounding the city. It also seemed that something about Usagi purified the shards more thoroughly. The few shards that were left behind were a sparkling white color rather than the rosy pink they had been in Kagome's possession. Usagi had a feeling it had more to do with her strange 'heritage' that she had found out about rather than her miko powers.

Not only had Inuyasha been pestering her all day, but Luna had been in her ear as well. Especially when Usagi decided she was going to skip their little 'study' session after school to get a little privacy. She felt trapped with everyone badgering her on all sides and just wanted to go for a walk on her own.

Usagi doubted she'd be able to sneak passed Inuyasha's nose so she decided to barricade herself in her room for a while. The window was closed and locked so a certain puppy dog couldn't sneak in and the door was shut and locked to keep a certain feline out. Souta had given her a small bag of treats when she'd come home and wished her luck on her homework, which she was grateful for. A little bit of sugar and caffeine would definitely be comforting after such a frustrating day.

They hadn't heard from Kagome or the rest of the group just yet and Usagi couldn't help but feel anxious. With the power out in much of the country, finding a place to charge a cellphone or finding a working payphone was going to be tricky. She knew it was much too soon for them to be coming back yet, but she couldn't help but miss her best friend. They were more like sisters than friends and Kagome had been one of the few stable comforts Usagi had had since her family had been killed.

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she turned annoyed cerulean eyes toward the tap on her window. Sitting on the roof was a annoyed looking hanyou with long silver hair tapping one claw against the glass. She slowly stood up from her bed and took her time going to open the window.

"I'm trying to study, Inuyasha." Usagi said with a frown at the tall hanyou.

"Keh! Looked to me like you were just being lazy." Inuyasha said as he climbed gracefully through the window.

"If you're just going to bug me about giving you the jewel shards, don't bother because I won't." Usagi said as she collapsed face first onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow. He didn't answer so Usagi smiled into her pillow, that was exactly what he had been planning. His silence told her that her assumption was right.

Usagi felt a soft thump against the bed and glanced over to see Inuyasha leaning against it with his legs crossed and his sword against his chest, arms crossed. His golden stare looked blankly forward at the wall, looking bored... or maybe tired? Usagi hadn't really seen the golden-eyed young man sleep.

"Do you want to lie down and take a nap, Inuyasha?" Usagi asked with a warm smile as she moved over on the bed and pat the comforter beside her lightly. His gaze flickered over to her and Usagi, indeed, saw fatigue within.

"Keh. This is how I sleep, woman." He said grumpily, but there was no bite to his words.

"Well, maybe I should sleep down here too, then." Usagi said as she rose with a hint of pink in her cheeks and sat beside him. She lay her head and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that radiated off of him.

Inuyasha felt beat rush to his face as the petite blond leaned up against him and lay her head on his shoulder. He was dumbfounded and his mouth dropped open slightly as he dropped his eyes shyly to look at her. He noticed her eyes were closed and there was a ghost of a smile on her plump pink lips. The very lips that he wanted to capture with his once again. Their softness against his was ingrained in his head as he focused solely on them.

Her scent swirled around him in the confined space and he had to force down a subtle longing that he felt building inside him. Her scent was intoxicating and he couldn't help from placing his nose in her hair and taking a deep whiff of her sweet scent. She smelled of lilies and tea leaves and a deeper scent that was all her own buried beneath the assorted soap and delectable sprays she used. He had come to associate the scent of lilies with her. A beautiful, pure white lily seemed to describe her well in his mind fogged by fatigue and desire.

He thought back to the strange visions the woman had shone them before and felt an even greater urge to do something... to make all others know she belonged to him! He could see a small scar at her throat and felt a deep resonating anger grip his insides. That mark was NOT his, but it SHOULD have been!

Without thought, Inuyasha reached down and gently grasped Usagi's wrists. He ignored the startled look in her eyes as he pushed her to the floor and pinned her hands over her head. Before she could make a sound of protest, he crashed his mouth down onto hers. She didn't respond right away as she lay tensed beneath him, eyes wide with surprise. Inuyasha gently pried her lips apart and dipped into her mouth with his tongue boldly. He ran his tongue over hers, savoring in her taste as a shudder ran through his body. He reveled in the feel of his body pressed against hers, aware of the two soft mounds pressed up against his chest.

To say Usagi was surprised by Inuyasha's sudden movement was an understatement. She was just relaxing and enjoying his presence and had started to drift off. What surprised her more than his sudden move was his strange appearance. Instead of his normal golden eyes, they were rimmed with a dull red color. His fangs seemed to have elongated and were hanging over his lips and there were jagged purple lines stretched across his cheeks.

His kiss was fierce and passionate and Usagi couldn't help but sink into it. His tongue tangled with hers and she felt a burning sensation start between her legs where a hard bulge was pressing against her. Her hands tangled in his hair as she felt his hands begin the roam over her body. He'd released her wrists and ran his hands across her hips and upward across her flat stomach. She couldn't help a shudder and a gasp as his hands moved over her covered breasts gently.

"Inuyasha..." She panted as she broke the kiss. When he dove in to continue the passionate kiss, Usagi turned her head and his lips instead fell on her exposed throat. She gasped again as goose bumps appeared on her skin from his touch. His hands were gently kneading her breasts and she felt him pressing his hips against her in a rhythmic motion. "Please... you have to... stop..." She pleaded as she tried to distance herself from the electric sensations he was causing her.

He didn't answer as his tongue moved up her throat and she felt his warm breath on her ear. She gasped out loud as she felt his teeth nibbling on the shell of her ear. She couldn't resist the urge to reach up to his head and gently rub the soft, furry appendages on the top of his head. A low growl followed by a pleased whimper as they ground their hips together in desire. Inuyasha didn't seem to hear Usagi asking him to stop as he stealthily reached his hands up her shirt and ran his hands along her bare stomach.

"Inuyasha!" She gasped

as she felt his clawed hands slip up her sides and to her bra-covered mounds. She felt a tightening behind her naval as she ground her center against him. She wanted him to stop before they went too far, but he didn't seem to hear her. The things his hands and mouth were doing to her made her want to let him continue, but her mind screamed to put an end to it.

"Please-we can't..." She gasped as his lips covered her mouth once more as a flick of his claw sliced her bra off from under her shirt.

"Usagi!" A muffled voice cried from outside the door. It was followed moments later by frantic knocking and the sound of the doorknob trying to be turned.

Usagi put her hands against Inuyasha's chest and tried to push him off of her. He was a solid mass of muscles and didn't budge an inch. She turned her head to the side to break the passion filled kiss, but instead felt his lips and tongue attack her exposed throat. His hand kept their movements as Usagi squirmed below him, trying to get out from under him.

"Stop, Inuyasha!" She said breathlessly as she tried to cease his movements. She heard a low, warning growl escape as she struggled to free herself and cried out at a sharp nip at her throat. When she met his eyes again, a spasm of fear gripped her chest. His eyes had gone from gold with red rims to fully blood red with narrowed blue slits. She couldn't help the gasp as she saw his strange appearance.

Without thought, Usagi managed to roll to the side and jump to her feet. She took a few steps backward as he advanced, a low growl in the back of his throat. She kept backing up slowly, not sure what to do and her shoulders met with the wall. He advanced on her, still growling as his hands caged her against the wall and his lips descended on hers once again. She broke the rough, passion filled kiss and his lips nibbled at her ear again.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong with your face?" She asked quietly as his hands moved back to her hips and started to slide up under her shirt.

"You... mine..." His voice was harsh as he continued his perusal of her body.

"That's enough, Inuyasha." Usagi said sternly as she pushed his face away from her throat. He snarled roughly and nipped her wrist in reprimand before his body pinned her against the wall. "Stop, Inuyasha!" She snapped.

Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her as he left red marks on his throat and his hands continued their roaming. She resisted feebly as his fingers tweaked her sensitive nipples and spasms of pleasure ran through her body. The knocking on the door was persistent but Usagi knew it was locked, she had done it purposely to keep out Inuyasha.

"Gomen..." She whispered as she shoved him roughly back. Before he could growl in protest, she uttered one word. "Osuwari." Inuyasha crashed loudly to the floor and Usagi ran to the door, flinging it open to see a frantic-looking Souta.

"You and Inuyasha need to hurry!" Souta cried, not noticing the flushed cheeks or marks on Usagi's neck. "They just said on the radio that there's a youkai not far from here! It's attacking people!"

"Inuyasha!" Usagi cried as she turned around to see the silver-haired hanyou groggily climbing to his feet. "We have to go help!" Inuyasha had a confused look on his face as the blond pulled him to his feet. He had no clue what had happened after Usagi had leaned against him and he'd been surrounded by her delicious aroma. He noted one thing, though. His scent clung to her skin and be saw lots of red marks covering her neck. There was also a very sweet scent in the air that originated from the blond girl. 'What the HELL did i do?' His mind screamed at him as the blond woman dragged him out of the room and down the stairs.

Usagi pulled him down the stairs and out the front door when he finally snapped out of the strange stupor he seemed to be in. He could smell the scent of blood in the air from multiple humans and hurriedly bent down for her to climb on.

"We have to hurry!" Inuyasha said loud enough to be heard over the rush of wind as they flew through the air, Usagi on his back with her bow and arrow. "I smell blood!"

::FIN::

**October****15,****2011**

**Notes**: Okay, so that's all for this installment! I hope you enjoyed the end of this chapter~.^ Not sure when I'll get around to updating this again, I'm feeling a bit stalled. I think I'm getting out of the whole Sailor Moon genre all together, I'm really stuck on the Inuyasha series! There's just so much that can be done with it! Anyway, not gonna put any review responses anymore. I may do PM responses, though. Depends on how much time I have^^;


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